


Old Man Beast Boy

by Teharrisonfox



Series: Old Man Beast Boy [2]
Category: DCU (Comics), Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Future, Anarchy, Angst, Animals, Blood and Gore, Chaos, Character Death, Demons, Dreams and Nightmares, Drugs, Dystopia, F/M, Family Issues, Flashbacks, Gen, Heroes to Villains, I'm Bad At Tagging, Ideology, Injustice, Magic, Monsters, Multiverse, Nightmare Fuel, Old Man Beast Boy, Older Beast Boy, Older Characters, Out of Character, Parody, Philosophy, Phoenixes, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Robots, Satire, Shapeshifting, Superheroes, Supervillains, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Time Travel, Villains to Heroes, Violence, War, Western, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, fight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 43
Words: 87,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24033847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teharrisonfox/pseuds/Teharrisonfox
Summary: The Teen Titans are trapped in the future, to find that the villains had won. Robin & Starfire is dead. Raven is passive. Beast Boy a murderer. Cyborg a villain. What happened? Will the Teen Titans get back to their timeline alive? What is Operation Macedonia? what dangers will they face on the way? what is Phoenix hiding? Sequel to Old Man Garfield Logan
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Garfield Logan/Raven
Series: Old Man Beast Boy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733728
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. The Tank

**Somewhere in Arizona, 2065**

Hell had arrived on Earth. There was no other way of putting it. The sun was a laser determined to vaporize your very skin. Wearing clothes felt like torture. And being naked made no difference whatsoever. Sweat oozed out of your skin like a leaking pipe about to burst. Sand, dust, silt, earth and fire made up the air, stabbing your very lungs, throat, mouth, with each breath you took. The air is still, frozen, solid. Not a gust of wind to give you the slight satisfaction of a slight breeze. Your brain feels like it is getting microwaved and wants to explode. Your eyes start to produce steam as your tears start to boil. Nothing can be seen for miles and miles in the Arizona desert. All there is to see is sand. Sand. Sand. You can't feel your legs as they aimlessly guide you the one way it can go. Forward. Occasionally you would come across a cactus, or a few rock piles. But it wouldn't have made any difference. All you can do is keep on walking. Walking. Walking. Walking. Death. Death. Death. If one were in that Arizona desert, one would have most certainly have welcomed death within four hours. Or if she was cruel that day, seven.

* * *

Which is why it was a strange place to see a building, in the middle of such a hostile place. The building resembled what appeared to be a giant snow globe, a large rectangular base with a single glass door leading inside, and a giant white metal sphere on top of it, that was polished so well that it looked as if the sun had decided to make a new home in the middle of the hostile Arizona desert.

If one were to recover from seeing such a bizarre sight, they would make a beeline to this building hoping that the inhabitants would be happy to offer a ride home or at least a glass of water. However, had they known what was going on inside, they would have been better of carrying on into the desert than set afoot inside that building. Death would have been better than what lays inside the building.

The basement describes everything that the building has to offer. It was a large basement around the size of a large airplane hangar, with thick concrete walls that had too much graffiti on it. The basement can be divided into five zones: north west, north east, south west, south east, and the centre. Each one having a different activity happening in each one.

The simplest of all was the north east section, which was a weapons market selling everything from a simple bow and arrows to weapons capable of destroying an entire city. People of all ages were fighting over who gets which weapon while the store owners, all of them ranging from children to old women looked on amused at the violence playing out in front of them.

In the north west section is what appeared to be a mix between an auction and an adult club, however now people of all ages are now preforming and bidding from people no older than 3 to people who looked as if they were about to drop down dead at any moment. Dancers all wearing provocative clothing preformed in front of a roaring crowd, all of them showering them with money, jewels and electronic gadgets. A bloody fist fight was happening between a retired bouncer, a nun and a young fraternal twins over who gets to have an almost supermodel looking women in a private room. However, neither one seemed to be winning as the bouncer looked as if his face had been ripped off, the nun's hands looked as if they had been through a car compacter and the twins looked as if they had survived a bear attack.

The south west section can simply be described as a 'drug food court'. People running rickety wooden carts to world class hole – in – walls, all displaying everything from large line of vials that contain liquids in all sorts of colours to large pot plants with plants that didn't look like anything from Earth. The 'dining area' was filled with people who are either halfway to falling asleep to people who seem to be reacting the Flash due to them running around in circles at fantastic speeds, which resulted in several pile ups all around the 'dining area'.

The south east section looked like any casino in the world, with all the typical games from poker to the slot machines and all that. A small crowd of people sat around tables fit for a king, all of them either dressed as a hobo to looking as if they were attending their daughter's wedding. However these people were not just betting with money, one man had his dog in a cage in front of him, another had a ruby the size of a bowling ball, another had an official looking document in front of him that gave away his manor and another had a wailing baby in front of him as if it was begging for him not to give him away as it laid on the tiny pile of chips as if it was his death bed. The croupier looked down at the scene as if he was a funeral director lowering a coffin of a stranger as he gestured at the small crowd. Moment's later the owner of the document was laughing as he held the dog and the baby in front of the previous owners who were looking at him as if he was their judge, jury and executioner.

* * *

But right in the centre of it all was a bloodbath. Looking down it would appear that someone had placed a tiny stadium in the middle of the basement, with rows of seats looking down at what looked to be a small red podium, where 2 people seem to be fighting. Then the person would realise that the podium isn't red due to it being painted, but red because it was stained from blood.

There were two men fighting. One was a scrawny thin man with skyscrapers for legs and toothpicks for arms. His opponent was a giant of a man with iron muscles, dustbin lid sized hands, limbs as thick as concrete slabs, his entire face, hair and skin was stained in blood, but he didn't have any injuries at all. The scrawny thin was panting, sweat flooded from his head, and he looked as if his bones had turned into glass. His opponent looked as if he had just came out of a spa looking carefully relaxed as he looked down at his opponent with a bored face as if he was unimpressed on what he saw. He walked casually towards the thin man extending his arms out as if to say, 'come one, try to hit me.'

The large crowd cheered on and on as they watched the two figures fight, the thing man lifted his head and charged as if to strike his opponent in the chest, but the large man casually lowered his hand and caught the man's head as if he was catching a ball. The thin man struggled as the large man lifted him up. He threw punch after punch, as he tried to find the inner strength inside him, but the large man yawned at the thin man's feeble attempts.

Then the man, with fantastic speeds, threw the man into the air like a doll and caught him by the ankles right over his head. For a moment he looked like a father about to give his son a piggy – back ride, but then he thrusted his arms outwards.

There was a horrific ripping and squelching sound. A loud scream. Splat. The thin man was ripped in half. Blood rained down from the large man's head. Gooey organs wrapped around his neck as if it was some kind of medal. The corpse of the thin man laid on both sides of the man.

The crowd roared. The crowd cheered. The crowd whooped. The crowd applauded.

* * *

**BONG. BONG. BONG.**

The sound of a gong rang out like a cannon.

"ALLLLLL MYYYY YEARRRSSSS I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS!" A voice echoed through the PA system as a short handsome man in a tuxedo emerged out of thin air in front of the large man. "THE UNNNNNBBBBBEEEEAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAABBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEE TTTTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK WWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNN!" He shouted through the microphone sending euphoria through his very words as the crowd cheered again.

The man in the tuxedo made a hand gesture and the crowd instantly became silent. "We have another contestant today. One who waltzed in here and got himself captured!" He said in a mocking voice as the crowd began to laugh hysterically.

"We all know what happened to them! They face the Tank!" The tuxedo man said gesturing at the Tank who trusted his hand in the air, his face in a wide smile. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! I present to you! The Beast Boy!" He said as he gestured at the end of the podium as a small green figure emerged out of thin air on the other side of the podium.

Old Man Beast Boy looked around him in disgust, as if each and every person in the room had personally insulted him in some way. He looked at the bloody man who calls himself 'The Tank' as if he was a annoying person on a bus, his face giving nothing away, his head lowered down as if expecting to see something more interesting written in the blood stained floor.

The crowd laughed and threw insults at Beast Boy. The Tank looked down at Old Man Beast Boy as if he was a funny joke. The man in the tuxedo looked on in amusement.

"Let us begin!" The man in the tuxedo said jubilantly as he shouted through the microphone, then he vanished into thin air.

* * *

**BONG. BONG. BONG**

The Tank began to move towards the short green figure. This was going to be a quick one. How should he go for the kill? Rip him in half? No. The crowd seen that? Crush his skull? No. Did that last time. Rip his arm off and beat him to death with it? Why not?

He was smiling and humming a tune as he strolled towards Beast Boy. 'It is a very interesting costume'. He thought as he looked on at the green figure. 'He looks almost like that Titans member from the era of superheroes.'

The Tank was now mere inches from Old Man Beast Boy as he decided on his first move, a casual punch to the face. He threw a punch, and it went as well as he thought.

Blood was sent flying through the air majestically as he hit the boy straight on the nose.

The boy staggered back dazed. Confused. Blood seemed to be in his eye.

Good.

He is blinded.

The Tank threw another punch. Straight at the Solar plexus. The boy cried out as he was sent staggering back even more. Trying not to slip on the blood. He slipped.

Good.

He is down.

The Tank stood over the boy, expecting the boy to do something. Anything. He made up his mind. Another punch to the face would do something. He raised up his arm and thrusted his hand down towards the boy's face.

**BUFF**

The Tank blinked. Instead of his hand making contact with delicate flesh, blood and bone of the boy's face, it came in contact with the boy's hand. He stared at it as his hand that was humiliated against the boy's tiny hand. The boy's face hadn't changed much except for something close to indifference or raw anger.

The Tank was about to deliver another blow…A giant ape. The Tank blinked. A giant green ape had replaced the boy. The Tank only had enough time to understand that there was an ape in the boy's place when….

**CRUNCH!**

The Tank screamed. Pain. Horrible, horrible pain. He looked at his hand. It resembled nothing but a bag of skin. He can't feel his bones. It felt as if they had been turned into shards as they stabbed at the bag of skin that was his hand. Blood poured out.

The next thing the Tank knew he was sent flying through the air as he felt a giant pair of feet kick him straight in the chest. He flew up into the air, and then…

**BANG.**

The Tank landed hard onto the concrete podium. He looked up. A green kangaroo was standing mere feet from him, looking at him as if he was some kind of joke. He roared as he got back up to his feet. A sword flew into the air, and the Tank caught it, as he charged at the kangaroo. He didn't care if it was his sword or not. It didn't matter. He was going to win. He can't lose. No more Mr Nice Guy. He was going to use weapons against this thing!

**SHINK!**

The Tank smiled as he saw the sword bury itself into the chest of the kangaroo. Blood poured out of the kangaroo's chest as he gave a small smile. The Kangaroo looked down at the sword as if taken aback. Then it shifted back into its normal form, sword still buried in its chest.

It grabbed the swords handle and removed it. It's face didn't flinch. The Tank stared on as he realised that the boy wasn't bleeding at all.

"Ow." The boy said as he threw the sword to the ground. Looking at the Tank as if he had bumped him in the street.

The last thing the Tank saw in his life was a giant green yeti as it picked him up from his arms, lifting him up into the air.

**RIP! SQUELTCH! SPLAT!**

The Tank was ripped in half. Just like the thin man he had faced earlier.

* * *

The crowd was already running away in panic. A mass stampede was going on as everyone realised who that the real Beast Boy was here, the man who took down the Cyborg gang single handily. Everyone was running away. Fleeing. Escaping. The drug users shoved their pockets with anything that they can get their hands on, the weapon buyers seized piles of weapons, the gamblers grabbed everything that they can and the club members and away in nothing but their underwear. A storm of people flooded the exit as they tried to get the hell out of the building.

Few people remined, namely the man in the tuxedo.

"You killed my champion!" The man in the tuxedo roared as Old Man Beast Boy shifted back into his normal form. The man in the tuxedo's face looked livid as if he had swallowed something bad. His eyes looked as if they were on fire as he stared down at Old Man Beast Boy with pure anger on his face.

The man in the tuxedo withdrew a revolver as he aimed it straight at Beast Boy's head "And for that you will die!"

The man in the tuxedo lifted the gun and fired.


	2. Improvments to the T - Jet

**Titans Tower 2020**

A year and a half had passed since the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil and ever since the Teen Titans have thrived, stopping villains from horrific schemes all around the world to even assisting the Justice League whenever necessary.

Robin was in his room with Starfire watching some Western movie that Starfire wanted to see. In the common area Beast Boy was playing a racing video game and writing on a giant pile of paper with a giant red pen, his hands a blur on both the controller and the pen, his eyes rolling around rapidly like a top, while Raven was sitting on a couch reading a book that looked to be older than the Earth itself, she had found it in their latest adventure which had involved them finding out that Slade was Jericho's son, a deadly encounter with Brother Blood's insane follower and Trigon coming so close to returning back to Earth. The deafening sounds of tools showed that Cyborg was still at work on whatever improvements he wanted to add to the T – jet. Everyone, including Raven was curious on what Cyborg could be up to. For almost a week he had barricaded himself in the garage, refusing to leave until he finished what he had started

Raven looked up at Beast Boy who was multi-tasking doing something he loves and something she thought he disliked. "What are you doing?" Raven asked Beast Boy in her typical fashion. Beast Boy jumped slightly as if his skeleton was getting ripped out by an invisible force, then turned his head to look at Raven with a look that was a mix of startled, annoyed and giddy. "Oh, just wanted to play 'Streetcar Racing IV'." He said with a smile on his face.

"And do your homework at the same time?" Raven said "I thought that…"

"Oh. This!" Beast Boy said, pausing the game and picking up the large pile of paper as if it was something disgusting that he found on a lavatory seat. "Speedy had to write an essay about his favourite animal for school, and he wanted me to edit his and the rest of Teen Titan's East's essays for some reason. I am beginning to wish that I hadn't as all of them except for Aqualad are dreadful! I mean" Beast Boy said as if he regretted saying what he had just said as he picked up a piece of paper and flapped it in the air as if it had personally insulted him "The twins said that the fastest animal in the world is the cheetah, but they are wrong! It's the peregrine falcon, they should have said 'fastest land animal'. Speedy wrote that dogs see in black and white, but they don't! And I am not going to delve into the spelling and grammar."

Raven raised an eyebrow "Since when are you fussy on spelling and grammar?" She said, "When we went undercover in that school, your history work had a lot of issues."

Beast Boy sighed heavily as if Raven made a good point "Only if it's about animals and the environment." He said, "That's what I'm best at."

"I know that." Raven said, "If your good at something embrace it, if it makes you happy." She said this as if talking about a subject she is only mildly knowledgeable about, then she went back to her book, not noticing that Beast Boy was blushing slightly.

* * *

Starfire's eyes were gleaming as she watched the movie play out in front of her, she thoroughly enjoyed watching 'really old Earth movies', and she grew to adore watching cowboy movies, despite Robin's persistent explanation on some of the inaccuracies.

Robin's room hadn't changed much, over the years, save for a giant TV that was placed on a wall in his room and a few extra pieces of cheapish furniture. Starfire was so embraced in watching a scene where the cowboy who was embraced by his fiancé that she was apparently unaware that Robin had entered the room, returning from the toilet. Sometimes it paid to have stealth training from the best of the best.

Grinning impishly, Robin dived underneath his desk, wrapping himself in his cape so that he blended in with the shadows as much as possible, moving quietly so that he is directly behind Starfire.

And he was rewarded with a delightfully surprised squeal from his tall Tamaranean girlfriend that made his heart beat faster as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Robin, you startled me!" she cried as a loud orchestral music blared from the TV as the credits began to scroll.

"No, I _surprised_ you," He chuckled huskily as he rested his chin on her head. "There's a very distinct difference."

"Oh?" Starfire giggled and turned around to wrap her own arms around him, and Robin couldn't keep the wide grin off his face as her bright green eyes twinkled merrily at him. "Then perhaps you will have to explain it to me."

"Well, startling you would mean that I didn't _mean_ to do it..." He smirked as he leaned up to her. "As for surprising you...well, I think _this_ qualifies." He swiftly captured her lips with his own, holding back a chuckle when she squeaked in shock before returning his affection with vigor.

It wasn't often that he did such an intimate moment in public, given that he was such a private person. But if no one else was around, Robin felt, well, for use of a better word, 'bolder' and more willing to show her just how much he cared about her with actions, rather than words. Starfire can't complain as she preferred it that way. Also, ever since their kiss in Tokyo almost two years ago, Starfire had come to thoroughly enjoy kissing, something he honestly didn't expect since he'd learned that it was mainly used for exchanging languages on her planet.

Of course, that just meant that every kiss he gave her, she got just a little bit smarter, and even something as small as that was a 'turn-on' for him...not that everything else she did on a daily basis didn't already do that. God, she was just so beautiful, inside and out.

As their lips parted with a light smack, she relinquished a coy smile with her eyes half-lidded, still shining with the love she felt so strongly for him. _"Je t'aime_ , Robin." She said in bad French trying to repeat something she saw in one of the movies she had seen.

His eyes widened a bit as he smirked at her. "You picked up a little bit of French this time." He said, choosing not to correct her.

"So it would seem." She hummed out a giggle and nuzzled her cheek against his face. That was something else Robin had to get used to. Tamaraneans were, to his knowledge, descendants of something similar to felines, so he'd quickly come to realize that Starfire had a lot of, for use of a better word 'sweet spots' that mirror Earth cats, such as a spot just at the base of her ear and just like that, she let out a soft coo that sent a flood of warmth into the pit of Robin's belly.

Starfire chose not to admit whether she could get so relaxed that she would start to purr like a cat, and that's not even accounting for the time she got turned into a cat. Twice. The first by Mumbo Jumbo and his mischievous schemes, the second by Gorilla Grodd using Beast Boy's blood to turn the whole world into animals, which he came so close to succeeding had it not been for Beast Boy, Martain Manhunter and Constantine of all people.

"But Robin." Starfire said under her breath

"Shh, don't worry about it. Cyborg's in the garage, and Raven can tell whenever we have these moments." He said

"...and Beast Boy?"

"If Beast Boy walks in here, well…He may have more chores to do for the rest of the month."

Starfire pulled back a bit, her eyes still smoky but aware enough to give the Boy Wonder a disapproving glance. "Robin, do not be mean to our friends."

He just pulled her back into him like an unrigged claw machine, giving her another lingering kiss that earned another moan from her, and he grinned against her lips as she wrapped one around his waist with the other curled around his back, reaching up to grip at his spiky hair. The next thing he knew, his feet had left the ground, and he gripped her tighter as they floated into the air. "Star..."

"Sorry…I cannot seem to unsky myself."

"Too much joy, huh?"

"Hmmmm"

Starfire responded by nuzzling against him like a cat, gripping him tighter against her while still trying to maintain enough awareness to not crush him like a nutcracker with her strength, and Robin stroked her long, smooth, flowing mane of inferno red hair.

Robin loved every minute of it, the feeling of weightlessness each time he flew with her matching with the weightlessness in his soul whenever she showered him with the affection he'd craved for so long, there was nothing like it. He loved this amazing woman, and it was abundantly clear that she loved him. No holding back…

**Knock! Knock! Knock!**

The loud knocking on Robin's door sounded like a cannon fire, and instantly Robin and Starfire shove each other away in embarrassment, their faces turning violently red, burning so hot that they can fry an egg on it. "Hello?" Cyborg's voice boomed "Robin? Starfire? I got something to show you!"

Robin turned to look at Starfire who both shared a look that said ' _Lets keep that moment between us shall we?'._

"Coming Cyborg!" Robin said as he walked to the door as if he was on a minefield, Starfire close behind him unsure on what to say or do when interrupted in such an intimate moment.

* * *

**5 minutes later...**

"TADA!" Cyborg said, gesturing at the T – Jet as if he was a 2nd hand car's salesman. The Titans looked at the T – Jet, the looked at Cyborg unsure on what to say. Cyborg looked extremely delirious, his metal body was stained with goodness knows how many liquid and fire burns, his eyes were red and twitching as if it had turned into a jellatonus goop. The smell in the garage was so overwhelming of metal, oil stains and who knows what else, which was augmented by the flood of stuff that littered the floor. Tools were scattered all over the place as if a million tool boxes had exploded, waste paper ranging from the size of tiny post – it notes to papers big enough to serve as wrapping paper for an entire planet flew around the air like aimless insects, the rubbish bin was overflowing with waste garbage from half eaten pizzas to rotten fruit which was covered by a swarm of flies flew around it as if it was a god. The garage was in such a mess that even Beast Boy was concerned.

This clashed with the T – Jet that was polished until it gleamed, an invisible shield seemed to have been made around it where not even a speak of dust even dared to cross it.

"I don't see what changes that you have made friend Cyborg." Starfire said looking up and down at the T – Jet that looked as if nothing much has changed except for a few extra tiny trinkets to the dashboard.

"Well! That's because the change is inside" Cyborg said jubilantly, waving his arms in the air as if he was a sports fan in a stadium "Soon, we, the Teen Titan's won't just protect Earth! Oh no!" He said touching the T – Jet as if it was a puppy.

"What do you mean by that?" Raven said, who was already directing her attention to cleaning up the mess that Cyborg made with everything flying back into its proper place, the garbage getting sucked up in mid air and getting crushed by some unseen car crusher.

"Well…" Cyborg said as if Raven had asked him a very obvious question "You do remember our little…episode in the multi – verse?"

Robin nodded, his face looking as if he had eaten something extremely sour "How could we?" He said "The bobble heads were annoying yes. But I had to send them an apology letter when we encountered our…our…"

"I think the right word would be our 'blood – thirsty' versions Robin" Starfire said, her face almost completely blank "But what has that got to do with…" But Robin finished for her.

"You made the T – Jet have the ability to travel through the multi – verse, did you?" Robin said looking at Cyborg

"BINGO!" Cyborg said, "and I want to take this out on a spin! Oh wait…did I forget to mention that this thing can also time travel? I managed to work out Warp's device so we can deal with him whenever some crazy stuff happens."

"Really?" Robin said "Right now? Are you sure that you think that this thing would work?"

"Of course, I am! Come on guys let's go!" Cyborg said jumping into the T – Jet, looking at his teammates "I promise that we will be back in 20 minutes."

Robin paused, unsure on what to think, Cyborg seemed too confidant, so many things could go wrong. They could be lost, the T – Jet could blow up with them in it, they could end up in a universe where they are evil and so may other things.

"I would love to see what your improvements towards the T – Jet you have made friend Cyborg!" Starfire said flying into her seat enthusiastically, she looked down at Robin as if expecting him to do the same.

Robin sighed 'what the hell' he thought as he walked towards his seat, as Raven and Beast Boy did the same without saying much of a word.

"Now guys" Cyborg said as he manuvered the T – Jet out of its hanger and into the bright blue sky "Hold on tight, for this is going to be rougth!"

"I wonder what we would see in our little adventure in the multi – verse?" Beast Boy said euphorically as he squirmed in his seat "Like the cliché gender swap, or even the 'good guys are the bad guys and the bad guys are the good guys' or even where we like swap roles or something like that like Robin having Starfire's personality or Raven having my personality! Hey what about one where we are all animals, I would do anything to see Batman as an actual Bat…wait what would I look like in that universe. Then there is Time travel! I wonder what…"

But Beast Boy never had the chance to finish his sentence as Cyborg pressed a button to mute Beast Boy, while Raven shot him a glace that read 'If you speak one more word, I swear that I will make you suffer a fate worse than death'. Which immediately silenced him.

Cyborg began to fiddle with several buttons as the T – Jet hovered in mid air as if making up it's mind on which way to go. Starfire gazed into Robin's compartment and Robin returned the favour, their eyes doing all the talking. Raven was staring out of the window as if the view had insulted her but she didn't want to appear to be rude and Beast Boy was fiddling with his thumbs as he looked anxiously out of the window.

"Alright guys!" Cyborg's voice rang out "First we test out time travel, then alternate universes, then we shall go home. Okay?"

The rest of the Titans nodded. Robin turned his head to look at the blue cloudless sky and then he heard it a distant rumbling sound, like a roar of a jet engine. "3…" Cyborg's voice rang in Robin's headphones "...2….1!" It began. At first Robin felt nothing then suddenly he felt an invisible force push him back into his seat. Not push. Crush. He felt his insides boil up. His eyeballs were no longer working as they were shoved into his skull. His bones were being crushed as he felt his skin flapping around him as if they had been turned into rubber and then…

* * *

**WUFFFF!**

Robin stirred. He felt a large rush of euphoria all over his body, his body was sending him mixed messages as they felt either so stiff that they could have turned into stone or felt so wobbly that it felt as if it had been transformed into rubber. His head was singing an unfamiliar tone, his lungs felt as if it had swallowed ice, his nose felt as if they had stuffed and his ears felt as if their senses had been dialled up to 11 and he felt as if his stomach were about to expel all his organs out. He looked out of the window to see nothing but an endless plain of sand.

Slowly he pressed the button to unlock the hatch and the glass door slowly hissed open.

The first thing that hit Robin was the heat. He felt as if the sun had kamikazed itself onto his body. His entire face, skin and body felt as if they were on fire, melting, oozing into a liquid. Sweat flooded his face, dissolving his skin. It dried up his throat making him feel as if he had swallowed the very desert itself.

He took a deep breath, and that was when the next thing that hit him. The sand. It stabbed into his face, his eyes, his mouth, his lungs. He gasped again as he leapt out of the T – Jet.

The rest of the Titans followed as they looked around them as if disappointed at what they saw. "Where are we" Robin said looking around him as if expecting to see a sign to give him the answer.

"Well." Beast Boy said in a high-pitched voice shifting into a camel "We are in the desert."

"Thank you Captain Obvious!" Cyborg said looking at his arm – computer "But my systems show that we are indeed in the future…but…but…" He looked as if he was unsure on what so say as if his mind had been whipped blank "…odd…but…huh…"

"What is it friend Cyborg?" Starfire asked looking at Cyborg's blank expression

"Well…" Cyborg said "…all I can get is the year and our location…were in the year 2065 and we are in the desert between California and Arizona. That's all I got."

"Wow." Raven said in her usual monotone voice "This future looks so interesting."

"Do think that we should like…uh…have a look at what the future is like?" Cyborg asked Robin, in an almost pleading tone.

"Dude! Do you know how dangerous that is?" Beast Boy said turning into a vulture and flying around Cyborgs and Robins head

"Perhaps…" Robin said, his mind a mess going in so many directions. Does he really want to see what this future would be like? What would such knowledge do to him? He could dramatically alter it to make it worse. Who knows what else? He only had to watch Back to the Future to know what crazy stuff that can happen.

He turned to look at the T – Jet and gaped. The T – Jet was a complete wreak. Half of it looked half way to the point of getting vaporized, several areas of it was falling into nothing more than a wreaked ruin, and a bright light as well as smoke was expelling out of the engine.

"Get Down!" Cyborg bellowed as all of the Titans threw themselves onto the sizzling hot sand as the T – Jet exploded into a million pieces.


	3. Fire

Zachary Robinson was terrified for his life. He can actually feel death's breath blowing into his ear as he looked up at the thing that was about to kill him. It felt like a lifetime ago when he and his buddies had decided to watch a really old movie, 'Star Wars' that his pal Freddy had found in an abandoned store in California, even though it was mere seconds ago. They had just received news about the death of not only the Penguin, but also the death of the Cyborg gang, and they found it a good time to celebrate with his pals and colleagues with some beers and a movie.

His boss, a man who only went by the name 'Alpha' was reluctant at first, but eventually decided that they can have a few days off, as long as they did some overtime, with half pay. Zachary didn't really care about his job, all he did was to handle paperwork, settling where 'big goods' are imported and exported, which ranged from drugs to weapons to even kidnapped metahuman children. All very boring stuff.

The movie room was small, but not quite uncomfortable, with large bunk beds instead of seats, the screen wasn't that big, and the sound was stuck at 'halfway to deafening point' but it was still enjoyable all the same.

Zachary wasn't a handsome man, nor was he an ugly one. He had short brown hair that looked as if it was cut by a lawnmower, eyes the colour of space, a nose that was too small, a head that was too big and skin that showed that he spent too much time in an office. His arms were too long, his legs were too short for his age and he is as skinny as a pencil making him look extremely fragile. He was dressed in the clothes one would wear to their 2nd least favourite relative's funeral. Not quite formal, not quite casual, but something in between.

They were just at the scene where this 'Obi Wan' guy was facing this guy in a black suit when what looked to be a giant blue ball of fire came crashing through the walls, and in flew in the most beautiful bird in the world.

The bird looked young. It was relatively small around the size of a medium sized dog, it had a small black beak no bigger than a walnut, talons no bigger than an over sharpened pencil, an impressive 1-meter wing length and the most beautiful feathers imaginable. Each feather was a delicate shade of blue, and each single feather seemed to be on fire with a similarly coloured blue flame, which gave an almost hypnotising look and smell. It opened it's mouth as if about to sing, but instead of singing a song suitable for the gods, it screeched out a melody that was played out in the bowels of hell. It threw back it's wings and the entire air was set on fire. Zachary felt himself unable to move, as if all his bones had been removed, as he stared up at this…thing that was slowly vaporizing his eyeballs.

He felt his skin was on fire, he felt this blood boiling and he felt his insides get hot, hot, hot, as if they were about to be blown up. He opened his mouth to scream but felt his mouth begin to vaporize, his tongue drying up, and steam bellowing out from his throat. He looked up at the thing one last time as if let out another hellish song as it extended it's wings again, firing out its large feathers as they shot all around the room. Zachary felt numb. He looked down to see a giant blue feather went straight through his chest. He saw blood rush out, staining his shirt. He let out another scream, and it died in his throat, as the entire room burst into an inferno.

* * *

Old Man Beast Boy looked at the man in the tuxedo as if he wanted to rip him in half. He looked at the shiny gun that was aimed at his chest and snarled a beast like snarl. His eye's narrowed down into slits, saliva flooded down from his mouth and his fang seemed to increase in size. He let out a menacing growl, waiting for the right moment to strike. The gun fired, the sound echoing loudly around the room. The lights around Old Man Beast Boy flared around him as he saw the bullet move towards him at fantastic speeds. Moving as fast as the wind he dodged it, letting out beast like roar he shifted into a tiger and charged at the man. The man, his face still red with fury fired his gun again and again, but no matter if the bullet made contact or not, the tiger still charged towards him. Blood staining it's brilliant green fur coat, its eyes filled with fury. Just when he is mere feet away the man aimed one last time and pulled on the trigger.

**CLICK**

The man stared down at the gun, confused. The man only had enough time to comprehend that he had ran out of bullets when the tiger finally pounced. Landing straight on top of his chest. Old Man Beast Boy began a blind fury of slashes, not caring where it came into contact with. All he could see is pure, red fury as his tiger claws ripped off everything, blood came flying everywhere, organs went flying off majestically like a champagne cork, and the part of the tuxedo looked as if it had been in a shredder. Moments later, Old Man Beast Boy looked down at thing that used to be a man and gave a small smile. One less bad man in the world.

The fire alarm went off, the deafening ringing of the bell rung through Old Man Beast Boy's ears, as lights began to flare all around him and the soft **HISSS** of the fire sprinkler drizzled down warm water onto Old Man Beast Boy's face. He made a strange combination of disgust, pride and despair.

"Oh, Phoenix." He said solemnly "What have you done now?" As he trudged up the bloody, slippery staircase to find his way to the exit.

* * *

**1 Hour Later...**

Phoenix can tell that his father wasn't happy. He had looked at him wordlessly as they left the smouldering wreck of the building that now resembles nothing more than a broken snowglobe that was on fire. Old Man Beast Boy had turned into his vulture form and flew off into the sky to find the nearest town, leaving him alone with the asleep cyborg baby that was Vic the IV.

The sun was setting, the great fireball vanishing into the horizon, the sky a melting pot of all the colours in the world. Blood red, dark orange, brilliant greens, soothing blues, shiny silvers and the deep shades of purple splattered around the sky. The air felt heavy, and the sand seemed to have settled, leaving the air extremely tasteless and rough.

He looked down at the sleeping baby and stroked him as if he was a sleeping cat. He didn't quite know what to make of Victor Stone the IV. The first Victor Stone is one of the supervillains that ruled over a quarter of what used to be the United States of America and even though he used to be a superhero and pals with his father, it didn't quite make up for the fact that he is responsible for goodness knows how many deaths. The second Victor Stone had a habit of nearly killing anyone who does so much as sneeze at him, which made him the 'main muscle' of the Cyborg gang. He had the names of everyone he had personally killed tattooed or engraved onto his body. Unfortunately, he had ran out of space. The third Victor Stone was an arsonist who had a habit of setting anything in his path on fire. One of his hobbies is to burn down buildings that belonged to people who failed to pay their rent, with the occupants still inside them. However now that Vic the IV is now in 'better hands' maybe just maybe they can finally have a cyborg that won't become evil. Hopefully.

"Nearest town is 20 miles away."

Phoneix jumped. He felt his stomach turn inside out as he turned his head to see Old Man Beast Boy look at him scathingly. "You surprised me!" Phoenix said gasping for breath.

"I see." Old Man Beast Boy said in a monotone voice, tying his arms into a knot, his eyes lowing into a scowl.

Phoenix paused, looking at his father with concern. Had he done something wrong? All he did was help him out by killing some of those goons in the upper levels, he saved him a tremendous amount of effort and trouble. "Is there something wrong?" Phoenix said blurting out what was in his mind

Old Man Beast Boy looked up, his face filled with emotion "Of course there is something wrong! You were supposed to watch Vic! Not storm into there setting the whole place on fire!"

"We have healing factors!" Phoenix said indignantly, he had just wiped out a large crowd of people who could have taken him down. He thought that he should have been proud! Proud that he is following in his footsteps in taking down bad guys at a time like this! He isn't some babysitter, he is the son of Beast Boy and Raven! Two of the last remaining superheroes and he is asking him to stand back while he does all the work? Not going to happen.

"Yeah, right," Old Man Beast Boy said, trying to calm down. "It's just that...just that..." He said trying to find the right words. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to think. He knew what Phoenix had done. Killed a large amount of people. His mind was a whirl, thoughts clashing with one another. For one thing he was grateful that he had 'helped him out' however his mind drifted to that fateful night where Scarecrow tricked him into killing the Titans and...he...he didn't want Phoenix to be like that. To be like him now. But at times like this? What else can the kid do? He wants the kids to have a better future, to live a better life. Not to repeat the cycle of violence and war that keeps on going on and on and on. Then what is he supposed to do? What? Then a single thought came into his mind. He isn't a good 'role model' for Phoenix and later Vic the IV. Vic. He looked down at the sleeping baby and his mind went into overdrive. He is also another problem. What makes him any better than his grandfather? How can he be any better and still fight for a better future? That he didn't know. How could he know?

He yawned a wolf-like howl and looked at Phoenix as if trying to send his thoughts through his facial expression.

"We should get some rest" He said looking up at the darkening sky. "Tomorrow we will go to the town and plan ahead."


	4. The Meeting area

It was one of the most secretive building in the world. So secretive that there were less than a 100 people in the world who knew its location. Everyone who worked there from the cleaner, to the cook, to the librarian to the woman who serves tea were all personally selected and made to be permanent residents of the building. The people who use it simply call it 'The Meeting Area'. Not very snappy, but after the defeat of the superheroes, having a snappy name wasn't quite on their priority list.

Getting to 'The Meeting Area' is a thankless chore. First one must drive to one of several infinitely large forests that is placed in the middle of nowhere, which is only accessible by the road less travelled. A man once wrote a poem called "The Road Less Traveled," where he describes a journey he took through the woods along a path most travelers never used. The poet found that the road less traveled was peaceful but quite lonely, and he was probably a bit nervous as he went along, because if anything happened on the road less traveled, the other travelers would be on the road more frequently traveled and so couldn't hear him as he cried for help. Sure enough, that poet has been reported missing for over 20 years.

Then one must navigate through the hostile, vile forest that seems to be cured with having a constant murdering blizzard happening over it no matter what time of the year. Snow didn't just fall down from the sky it was sniping, machine gunning ice daggers down onto anyone who so much as moves a muscle. The snow stabbed every inch of unprotected skin that so much as came into contact with the air. The air howled and screamed a murderous song into one's ears, as well as attempting to send one flying through the air like a kite. Each tree that one passed looked more and more murderous, and the sounds of wild animals in the distant sent chills down the spine due to its proximity.

After one navigates the infinite forest, they would eventually find a large cave placed carelessly around several trees. The cave entrance looks like the barrel of a gun made with rocks as old as time itself. If one were to enter it, they would find themselves lost to the dark, maze like passages of cave lakes, stalactites and stalagmites. The darkness didn't just engulf you, it crushed you, it left you so in the dark that it made you beyond blind. It murdered your senses. The air felt heavy and damp as if you were drowning, and the rocks seemed to taunt you with each step that you took. The slow drips of water sounded like a cannon and the passages went in so many directions that the human mind couldn't even comprehend.

If one were to finally navigate the cave, they would find a large concrete block hut around the size of those photo taking booths that is found in every airport around the world. The hut had a simple oak door which opened up to a tiny room that looked to be out of the 17th century. The room only had a few things in it. A small side table that can be found in any cheap hotel around the world, a vase used for decorations in the lobby in fancy apartment blocks, a painting that can be found in any art gallery around the world, an umbrella stand that can be found in any antique store and the doors of a lift that had one button that was over polished.

When someone presses the button, their fingerprints and DNA are immediately read and checked on a database, to see if it matched anyone on it. In both cases if it passes or fails, the lift would open none the same. The interior of the lift was fancy with wooden walls, a golden handrail, a red carpet and a tiny TV that can show anything of the users liking. But had an enemy entered the lift they would trigger an alarm sending them plummeting down the elevator shaft the instant the lift door closed behind them. But had a friend entered they would slowly descend down towards the entrance of 'The Meeting Area'.

The Meeting Area was, of course, used by the supervillains as some sort of annual meeting to discuss everything from trade disputes to which planet in the universe that they have left to conquer. It had over 100 rooms including a library with every known book in the world, guest rooms fit for a king and a buffet with every known food in the world.

But the most important room was the grand meeting room. The grand meeting room was gigantic in its size and width, that two luxury cruise liners can fit inside comfortably. In the middle of the room was a long table that was surrounded by large leather throne like chairs. On one side of the room was a giant plasma TV, the size of a basketball stadium took up an entire wall. The walls were decorated with an armada of paintings, each one seemed to contain every known animal in the world from aardvarks to zebras.

* * *

There were 3 people in the room. The first one was a tall man who had a head that looked as if it had a mound of dirt on it, had glasses as thick as iron, skin paler than snow, lips so thin that it could have been drawn by a cheap pencil and a face that made him look like an oversized school boy. His hands were stained with so many colours that he looked like a wacky piece of modern art himself. He was wearing a large colourful dirty apron that looked big enough for a ships sail, a T – shirt that was designed by a drunk colour-blind artist and jeans that looked as if they had been attacked by a wild animal. The man's name was Eric Luthor, the youngest person in the Luthor family and 13th in line to having power in the White House. He knew the chances of him possessing the White House is unlikely, and his cousin had dragged him into this place so that he can be the interior designer for 'The Meeting Area' after noticing his talent when Eric made his first drawing. He was presenting a painting to the other people that depicted a vulture that was drenched in blood killing a robin with its beack, that had too much detail painted into it.

The second person in the room scowled at the painting as if she had just swallowed something bitter and salty. The woman couldn't have made much of a contrast to Eric. She was dressed in military uniform that didn't have so much as a stain of water on it. Her chest was decorated with enough over polished medals to sink the Bismarck, and she stood at constant alertness as if relaxing would be a sign of weakness. She was thin, had skin looked like as if she had been in the sun, and had polished dark hair that seemed to have been cut by a slide ruler. She wore very little make up and she had a face that always showed her displeasure. Her name was General Pansy Rosamaria, and she was one of the generals that worked for the supervillains. She looked at the painting as if it had personally offended her and she looked as if she wanted to be anywhere else.

The other person in the room looked very odd indeed. In fact, it didn't look human at all. It looked like something one would find in a strange adult website. The thing was short and small around the size of a 9 or 10-year-old child and it sat on one of the throne like chairs as if waiting to be addressed to. If one were to walk into the room at that very moment the first thing that would undoubtably catch their eye was the 3rd person. The first thing that is noticeable was that it had violently red skin, as if it was painted red or stained with blood. Its hair was also a deep shade of red as if its head was on fire. The next noticeable thing was its body structure. Its skull looked more canine than human, with razer sharp teeth, a frog like tongue, long droopy ears, a large black nose and eyes that glowed a deep shade of red. Its chest looked as if it can belong to any animal in the world with it being all buff and at a closer inspection, furry. Its limbs were also animal like, instead of hands it had massive paws which made it look extremely distorted, and to top it all of it had a long, monkey like tail and demon like wings. But the last noticeable thing was the strange thin metal collar around its neck that was constantly flashing a blue and green light.

"What do you think of this?" Eric said holding the painting in front of Rosamaria, a bit too enthusiastically.

Rosamaria scowled at the painting again as if she wanted to snap it in half. "I do not care for it!" she said bluntly, sounding like a speak your weight machine, looking around her as if trying to locate a stray speak of dust. "In fact, I do not understand why you are here when I am scheduled for a meeting with Mr. Stone!"

"In 5 minutes, time." Eric said as if he hadn't had any sleep for days "Honestly, I'm here to do my job, and I am just asking for an opinion" as he strolled towards a wall where he placed the painting in-between a painting of a yellow fox and a peach rabbit and a painting of a yellow flying squirrel and an orange raccoon.

"True." Rosamaria said with as much emotion as a PA announcer in an airport, looking at the strange thing that sat near her in disgust.

"Doesn't that thing know any class?" She said, her voice cracking out like a whip as she looked back up at Eric as if expecting him to be as outraged as him.

"What do you mean?" He said curiously

"Well. For one, he is just sitting there like a statue, he is slouching in front of someone in authority and he isn't wearing any clothes! I can see his…well…he is just wearing that mind control collar! Ask him to show some respect!"

Eric sighed heavily "General Rosamaria" He said "I do not posses the controller, I believe that it is possessed by either President Luthor the II or Mr. Stone. On the subject of Mr. Stone, have you heard the rumours about what happened to him a fortnight ago?"

Rosamaria nodded "I do. And I do not believe it. The fact that one man, ex – superhero or not took down the entire Cyborg gang is ludicrous!"

"Unfortunately, it's true" A voice suddenly boomed out. Rosamaria and Eric practically jumped out of their skeletons as they heard the voice ring out in the room. They all turned to the screen as if expecting to see Victor Stone speaking to them, but the screen remained black as if it was too afraid to show what was supposed to be displayed.

"Mr…Mr Stone!" Rosamaria stuttered standing to attention and saluting so hard that it could have cracked he skull.

"At ease Rosamaria." The voice of Victor Stone boomed, as Rosamaria lowered her arm. "Yes, what Eric here said is absolutely true. Me and my entire family was massacred by the Beast Boy, however he failed to account for something"

"…which is?" Eric blurted out staring at the blank screen as if he was staring at the devil himself.

"My body he did destroy, yes. But my mind. That I saved. I have already constructed several new bodies for my mind to inhabit and I will be hunting him down while the final stages of Operation Macedonia are in effect."

Rosamaria looked as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing, and Cyborg seemed to have noticed. "Is there a problem General Rosamaria?" He asked smoothly

"Sir…" Rosamaria said as if trying to pull herself together. "As you know…I have argued against my position in Operation Macedonia as well as the goal of Operation Macedonia itself…It would be a logistical problem, and that's not accounting for what Constantine and Nightwing had done 30 years ago." She said sounding like poisoned honey "and…I have heard the latest developments and I can see a number of logistical issues with it. So may things can go wrong."

"If you have another suggestion, I would like to hear it. You know that the Swamp Thing would object to the alternative" Victor Stone's voice rang out "Tell me your honest opinion."

"No. No. Forgive me sir, but what you are suggesting. It…it seems too insane. We already have a lot of land taken over in the universe and what you are suggesting would make us more…more…" Rosamaria seemed to choke on the last word as she said "…vulnerable."

There was a long, deadly pause. So long that time itself seemed to be playing games with Rosamaria. Then Victor Stone spoke "I understand General Rosamaria. You will not be involved in Operation Rosamaria anymore." He said sounding like any parent talking to their kid who has had a nightmare. "Thank you, sir." General Rosamaria said saluting at the screen, sounding something close to relived.

That was when everything happened at once. Eric turned to see General Rosamaria lowered her arm. The red figure sat up in his seat. He raised up his arm. His entire body glowed red. The air became still and stiff. Red began to make up the air as the boy stared down at Rosamaria as if she was his prey, his mouth watering, his hands looking as if they were about to explode! and then...

**THUMP!**

Eric looked down, shocked. It happened so fast that he didn't have the time to comprehend what he had just witnessed. He stared down at the large pile of clothes…Rosamaria's uniform…lay crumpled on the floor.

Eric blinked. What the hell had the kid done? He turned to see him flying around the small pile of clothes like a vulture, as if waiting for something to happen, casting weird shadows in the light. He felt his legs turn to stone as he slowly watched the scene play out in front of him.

He saw something move inside the shirt of the uniform of Rosamaria, a lump, no bigger than a small bird was moving slowly as if the thing was afraid to come out. Then Eric saw it. A robin. A small red robin trembling in the place where Rosamaria was. Eric stared. The robin tweeted rapidly. Where had it come from? And where was Rosamaria?

By the time realisation came upon him, it was too late. The robin was Rosamaria. This…this thing can turn people into animals and who knows what else? Then he heard a beast like screech, then a flash of red, and a horrific crunching sound as the thing chewed on the robin, blood squirting out of its mouth like a juicy berry. A savage smile on the things lips as he swallowed it whole.

"Who killed Rosamaria Robin?" Victor Stone's voice rang out in a mocking sing – song voice "I, said the Red Beast. With my powers and sharp teeth, I killed Rosamaria Robin!"


	5. Red Hoods

Robin thought that he had seen everything. There were the countless villains that he fought with Batman that did so many schemes ranging from the ridiculous to hair raising, then there was the time that he had been forced to become Slade's apprentice, the time that the Titans fought Trigon on three separate occasions, encounters with several versions of themselves from alternate dimensions, to even the time he got turned into a monkey, twice. But the sight that he saw in front of him was something so strange that he felt that he had stepped into some YA novel or a bad adaptation of one.

After the T – Jet had blown itself apart, Cyborg had declared it to be broken beyond repair and that they probably need to find their way to civilization and then figure something out. Which is why they had begun to move east with their backs against the sun in the hopes of finding a sign of civilization. All five Titans trudged through the blistering hot desert sand, their minds going wild with thoughts. Starfire bombarded the Titans about what she saw in the future after her encounter with Warp even though she knew that that timeline no longer existed, Cyborg wanted everyone to be angry at him for getting them stuck in the future, Beast Boy was trying to be optimistic about saying how they must enjoy their time in the future and try not to buy a sports Alamac and Raven was as indifferent as ever but Robin knew her long enough to tell when she feels deeply uneasy. Robin wasn't sure if he wanted to know what the future held in store for him. For one thing he found what Starfire described as him being 'Nightwing' to be very, interesting and he wondered if he had picked up this mantle in this future, or what his future would look like. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know.

* * *

They have been walking for goodness knows how long, it was past sunrise when they crash landed and by now the sun was almost above their heads, threatening to vaporize them. All the Titans were hot, sweaty and almost out of breath. Not for the first time, Robin wished he had a power since the rest of the teammates had found ways to stay cool from Beast Boy turning into a camel to Starfire flying around rapidly to catch cool air. Robin felt his face dissolve as he whipped a gallon of sweat from his face as he climbed up a giant sand dune. That was when he saw it. The Town.

The town looked extremely old and new at the same time. It looked as if two directors were told to make the same movie and one wanted to make a cowboy movie and the other wanted to make a sci fi movie and they had to come to a strange compromise. The town wasn't big, it had only 1 street and a small row of houses that looked either from the 19th century or futuristic or a strange combination of both.

"Finally!" Cyborg whined as he stared down at the town as if it was a giant piece of gold "Civilisation!" he panted as he practically collapsed into the sand.

"Friend Cyborg!" Starfire cried as she tried to pull Cyborg up from the sand, but Cyborg shot up his arm.

"I'm Okay Star" He said with a tiny smile. "I'm Ok"

"Shouldn't we be going down to the town now?" Robin said, gesturing at his friends. "I'm sure after we find out about this future, we can just ask out future selves or the Justice League or the Doom Patrol or whatever for some help to get to the past." He said uncertainly as he walked carefully down the sand dune.

"Yeah, lets see." Raven said staring at the town as if it had mildly annoyed her.

The moment they got closer to the town, the more and more uncomfortable Robin got as if they were about to walk into an ambush, the town was too quiet, no sign of life can be seen in the town, not even a fly and the air was too still as if it was afraid to move. There was a long line of identical, dilapidated houses each one looking as if it will collapse at any moment, what looked to be a hotel made out of metal and glass stood in the middle of the row of buildings on the left, a wooden metal town hall on the right and what looked to be a casino that had been on fire on the far right end and a shop with half its content exploded all around it on the far left end. The closes building to them was a church that had a giant graveyard, with most of the graves looked recent.

"Hello?" Starfire shouted, her voice echoing down the long line of buildings

"Is anyone here?" Beast Boy cried shifting into his normal form.

Silence. A long, uncomfortable silence. The air felt heavy, as if it was about to crush the Titans. Raven stared at each house as if she disliked what she saw Cyborg looked around as if trying to find a particular speck of sand in the air, his eyes glowing red. "My thermal scanners detect that there are many people here." Cyborg said confused. "But wha…"

That was when everything happened at once. The moment they were standing in the middle of the row of houses, a loud shrill voice screamed "They're here!" its voice ringing out in the air, and then suddenly as if by magic the entire street was crowded with people, and all of them didn't look happy at all. Out of every window in every building was a man, woman and a child pointing some kind of weapon aiming straight at the Titans whether it be a machine gun or a bow and arrow. More men and women appeared out of thin air surrounding the Titans, all of them aiming weapons from missile launchers to pistols to cannons.

Robin stared back at this, taken aback, unable to comprehend what was going on. The closest person to him was a thin man aiming a rifle straight at his head, a woman pointing a giant axe that looked as if it was sharpened daily at Beast Boy's throat, a boy was practically thrusting the end of a flamethrower at Starfire's back, a little girl had a samurai sword twice her size pointing right at Raven's chest and a giant of a man his skin decorated with tattoos was pointing a what looked to be a fusion between a cannon and a revolver right at Cyborg's face.

"Errr…hi…" Beast Boy said looking apprehensive at the axe that was aimed at his throat "…we…err…we are from the past…do you know the location of the nearest city so that we can like…uh…find our way back to the past…"

But it looked as if nobody listened to what Beast Boy was saying, the giant man who was pointing the cannon at Cyborg's face hissed "You're not welcome!" He rasped looking at Cyborg with so much hatred that he looked as if he was about to shoot fire out of his eyes.

"What?" Cyborg cried, he didn't understand, all they did was walk in and that interpreted as a death sentence.

"You heard me!" He roared practically shoving the cannon into Cyborg's face "You are not welcome! You came here three weeks ago! You have taken practically everything! What more do you want!?" He cried tears forming into his face "You taken all our money, all our jewels! You even taken some of our kids! What more do you want! You know we also have to deal with the Red Hood Gang! What do you want!"

"Sir!" Starfire cried out her face in complete disbelief "We are from the past, 45 years ago, and we seek to find the directions to someone who can send us back to the past! You must have been mistaken with my friend Cyborg, he means no harm, and what you say about him doing these things is impossible, we just arrived here hours ago."

There was a long pause, then the giant man laughed a forced laugh "Oh, so is that what you are playing at little girl?" He said looking at Starfire with a greasy smile "Is that the excuse you are coming up with? But I see through you! You are trying to make us lower our guard down and then you will destroy us all?"

He then turned his face at Cyborg, and it changed into raw, pure anger "And you!" He roared pointing the cannon at Cyborg's face who looked so stunned and shocked that he seemed to have lost the ability to speak or even move. "What are you playing at? Cloning your dead friends and using them as your goons? ANSWER ME!"

All the Titans were so shocked by this behaviour that all that they can do was watch. Robin looked around him, searching for a weak spot. There were around 150 men, women and children all of them armed with some kind of deadly weapon. He knew perfectly well that a single strike from him would result in him and the rest of his friends getting obliterated into hell.

"Wha…wha..wha…" Cyborg finally muttered in shocked silence.

"Were you and the rest of the Supervillains bored? Does Luthor miss fighting Superman? Does the Penguin want Batman back? Does Black Adam want one last fight with SHAZAM?" The man said looking at each Titan member as if trying to see some sort of mark that read 'I'm a fake'.

"Look, we don't know what you are talking about!" Robin said, trying to express his authority with a bit of fear in his voice to make him not sound too confidant "We are from the past and we came here in a time machine, and we just want to know what is going on!"

The man paused, looking at Robin up and down as if trying to figure out if he is telling the truth or not. He looked as if he had just made up his mind when there was a loud shout "RED HOODS! RED HOODS!" The voice rang out in the air like a foghorn and the man's face changed from a mixture of anger and calculation to pure white fear, his eyes bulging, his eyes opened wide. He then pulled himself together and turned back to the crowd of people.

"I want all of you to lock yourselves into your homes, NOW!" He cried looking at all of them as if it would be the last time that he sees them. There was a long pause. Then he cried "I don't want any more deaths in this town!" He cried again.

"But…dad…" the boy with the flamethrower cried, but the man cried again "GO!" There was another pause, then moving as fast as light everyone scrambled back into their home and in a matter of seconds the entire street was deserted save for the large man and the Titans.

The large man turned to face the Titans. "I want you to hide in that building, NOW!" He said pointing at a dilapidated wooden building that looked like a wild west version of an apartment block.

"Why?" Cyborg said, who was now suffering from whiplash from this man attempting to blow his head up to trying to save him from something.

The large man pointed at the horizon where what appeared to be a giant sandstorm stampeding towards the town. At first it looked to be a sandstorm, but then they noticed that it wasn't a sandstorm, but an armada of giant oversized motorbikes, all of them driven by gigantic people in red hoods. Robin stared at such a sight before he was practically shoved into the building by the man before he slammed the door shut behind him.

* * *

The inside of the building smelt like the inside of a sewer but none of the Titans payed any attention, they looked though the gigantic cracks in the walls to see what was going on. Nothing was needed to be said between any of the Titans, all of them were thinking the same thing. 'What the Hell is going on?'

Raven was squashed up next to Beast Boy so close that they were practically at each other's faces. Usually she would not accept this to happen, however she wanted to know what was going on as much as Beast Boy stared through the cracks. All she could see was that large man still holding onto that cannon. There was a gigantic squeal that sounded like nails on a chalkboard, and then a smooth greasy voice.

"Well, well, well." The voice said, as Raven strained to see who was speaking "Mr. Hall! I am Oliver Johnson, the new leader of the Red Hoods. How long has it been since our last visit?"

The large man growled like a wolf as he pointed the cannon at an unseen figure. "Oh, yeah. How many did they kill again? 10? 20? 40?"

"ONE HUNDERED AND FOURTY SEVEN!" The man screeched at the top of his lungs as tears began to fall down from his face.

"Oh yeah…right…" the voice said laughing a maniacal laugh. "So that's why you decide to face us alone?" More laughs followed and the man's face began to turn red with rage, steam bellowing from his ears.

**BOOM!**

The Man had lifted up the cannon and fired it so suddenly and so unexpectedly that Raven felt herself jump out of her skeleton. The mans face was filled rage, his face a dark shade of red. That was when everything happened at once.

There was a loud cry. Gunfire. Robin screaming "Titans GO!". The blinding light as he kicked the door down. The man firing a cannonball that made a man who was charging right at him head blow up in a fantastic firework of blood. More gunfire. The man came crashing to the ground. Blood all over his body. The large crowd of people all in eccentric dressing and all of them wearing a red hood looking up at the Titans. A man in a red hood and a fancy suit from the 1920's pointed right at them. "There they are!" He cried.

Two men in a samurai armour, firing a giant gun rapidly and blindly began to charge at them, with Robin and Cyborg running to intercept them, dodging every bullet at fantastic speeds. A thin shrimpy man stampeded towards Starfire. Starfire began to fire at him, but he seemed to absorb every blast as if he was a sponge. A cowboy with a lasso long enough to stretch around the entire world seemed to be engaged with a fight with Beast Boy. The men with the gun cried out as Cyborg hit one of them with a blast from his sonic cannon sending him flying through the air like a rag doll and the other got knocked out by Robin. Raven opened her mouth to cast a spell. Something hit her as if she was hit by a car. Lights began to swirl around her as she felt her mouth feel as if they had been sealed shut. She saw her friends come falling down to the ground as if struck down by an invincible force.

"Well, we got them now!" A giant woman with a red hood, wearing a magicians costume cried as she seemed to yank Raven up by an invincible net, as 4 other men did the same for the rest of the Titans. "Good!" The man in the suit said "Report to Salt Lake City now. Bring them to me."

Raven struggled, but it felt as if she was tied up and gagged by some kind of invisible rope.

"Sir!" One of the men cried "One of them is a Cyborg"

"I know. That is why we came here. The Cyborg gang is dead, and you know that our sources never lie."

Suddenly the man vanished, as if into thin air, as if he was never there in the first place.

"Come on!" One of the men said "We don't want to be late! Otherwise the old elephant would…"

**CRUNCH!**

Raven stared in horror at what she just saw. A giant green elephant had appeared out of thin air and crushed several of the men in red hoods, reducing them into nothing but a bloody pulp on the ground.

For a moment, Raven thought it was Beast Boy, but that was impossible, Beast Boy would never kill someone in that manner, and for that fact, she can see that Beast Boy was right next to her being held by the cowboy in the red hood.

"What the?!" The cowboy swore in a strange combination of a Russian and Texan accent as he raised his gun to the elephant.

"Your going down Red Hoods…" The elephant growled as it changed into a lion and pounced. The cowboy red hood fired, bullets went straight through the green lion's chest, but that made it more angry as it landed right on top of the cowboy red hood. There was a horrific ripping sound, then a burst of red as blood went flying everywhere, the man's organs went raining down all over Beast Boy's horrified face.

The red hood magician looked at the lion as if she was about to cast some kind of spell only for her to explode into flames as blue fire came raining down from the sky as what can be only be described as the wrath of God. Raven looked up to see a majestic blue phoenix kamikaze from the sky firing fire from out of its body, vaporizing the fleeing red hoods. The phoenix was flying so low that Raven could simply jump up and grab it, but the thin red hood man beat her too it as it seized the phoenix around the neck looking murderous. The thin red hooded man didn't have two seconds with the phoenix however as a giant claw of a green dragon ripped the thin man in half tossing the two ends of the corpse as if it was some unpleasant rubbish.

Raven closed her eyes unable to take it any longer.

* * *

She didn't know how long her eyes were closed but by the time she opened them, she found herself able to move. She looked around her. Her mouth agape at what she saw. Piles and piles of dead bodies. All of them ripped apart, vaporized until they resembled nothing but a shell, or disembowelled so that all their organs came flooding out. Blood and fire flooded the ground, as she found the energy to stand up.

The man was standing not so far from her. His arms in a knot. His giant worn out jacket stained in blood. A cowboy hat on his head to shield his face from the sun. He seemed to be looking down at the ground as if trying to find an ant.

The blue phoenix was perched on his shoulder as if it desperately needed to take a nap, but it looked as if it had too much energy to will itself to sleep.

Then Robin cried out "Who are you?" He cried looking at all the dead bodies in horror.

"What is wrong with you?" Beast Boy cried as he frantically tried to wipe blood from his body.

The man paused still looking down on the ground as if trying to regain his thoughts. Then slowly, very slowly he lifted up his head and scowled at the Titans. "The names Beast Boy. Old Man Beast Boy. And you are in a lot of trouble."


	6. Revelations

Beast Boy stared at Old Man Beast Boy, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. He had just watched his older self plough through an entire army of red hoods single handily, killing every one of them in a gruesome way, hell he still can't get the image of himself ripping that guy in half out of his mind. Then there was the fact that he, no his older self, had just murdered a large crowd of people, breaking the number 1 rule of a superhero.

"No way…" Beast Boy cried out in complete disbelief, "No…you…you can't be me…that's…that's impossible."

"I'm afraid it is." Old Man Beast Boy growled, scowling down at each Titan as if trying to work them out, and even though he looked at then as if he was trying to imitate Batman, a tear can clearly be seen in his eyes. "And let me have a guess on what happened to you. Time travel?" He said in a bored voice.

"Yes" Beast Boy said waving his arms in the air "But how do I know that you are not some kind of clone, or imposter?" Beast Boy cried pointing an accusing hand at his older self.

"Beast Boy is right!" Robin said who sounded as if he was trying to pull himself together from shock "How are we supposed to know that you are not an imposter?"

"Yeah!" Cyborg cried "The Beast Boy I know would never harm a fly!"

Old Man Beast Boy seemed to pause for a moment, taking his time to think. Then he raised a hand and pointed at Robin "Your name is Dick Grayson" He said calmly, relishing at the further look of surprise on Robin's face as he revealed his secret identity. He then pointed at Starfire "You had to come to me to ask me to drop your 'feline instincts' after the Mumbo incident" he said as Starfire turned bright pink. He then pointed at Cyborg "You one time thought Speedy was Kid Flash and Kid Flash was Speedy." He growled looking at Cyborg as if he didn't know what to make of him. Finally, he pointed at Raven "You secretly like to watch My Little Pony" he said as Raven looked at Old Man Beast Boy as if she wanted to murder him on the spot.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause then Robin nodded "Okay, your good I admit it."

"But…Friend Beast Boy." Starfire said looking at Old Man Beast Boy in complete dismay "What happened to you? Why are you so…so…blood thirsty?"

Old Man Beast Boy gave a heavy sigh as if he hadn't slept well for days "You don't want to know…its just that…that…" He seemed lost for words as if he didn't know what to say. He turned, swinging what looked to be an asleep version of a baby Cyborg in some kind of bag around his back, and began to walk slowly away from the Titans as if talking to them any further would bring about the end of the world.

The blue Phoenix remained quite still watching the scene play out in front of him, but the moment that Beast Boy turned his back at the frozen Titans it made it's move, flying off from Old Man Beast Boy's shoulder and landing on the ground in front of them, eyeing each one of them as if it couldn't believe what it was seeing. Then the Phoenix spoke "You shouldn't think so negatively about my father." The phoenix said in a soft voice "He is a complicated person, and you should understand that so much has happened to him"

Suddenly, the Phoenix vanished to be replaced by a short boy. The boy looked like any 8-year-old boy in terms of size and physical posture. He wore nothing but a blue t – shirt, blue jeans, glasses as thick as carboard, and a large purple cloak…just like Raven. But there were several things that made him almost instantly unique. The first thing that struck out about the boy was his royal blue skin that made him look like a cartoon character. On his forehead was what looked to be a large sapphire…just like Raven. The boy also had large, wild blue hair that made it look like he had a tempest on his head with it going all over the place, large pointy ears and finally then there was an over – sized fang on his mouth…just like Beast Boy.

There was a long pause as the Titans stared at the boy that just appeared in front of them. Raven stared at the blue boy, then at Beast Boy, then at the back of Old Man Beast Boy, then back at the blue boy, then back at Beast Boy, then back again at the back of Old Man Beast Boy. Beast Boy stared at the blue boy, then at Raven, then at the back of his older self, then back at the blue boy, then back at Raven, then back again at the back of his older self. So many things was happing so fast that their minds couldn't fully comprehend it.

Raven knew what she was looking at and she couldn't believe it. Her son. A child that she had with Beast Boy. Her mind went in so many direction, from what this knowledge would do to her and Beast Boy to how Beast Boy would react to such a thing to what their future would be like and then she thought about what couples do to each other…

"My name is Phoenix. Phoenix Mark Logan" Phoenix said looking at the Titans as if he had just won the lottery. "And yes, younger Mom and Dad…I am your son"

* * *

The Titans just stared in disbelief at their friends and this boy. Raven and Beast Boy together? Together in a way that they had a kid!? The world just came to an end! What the hell happened there?! Was it one-night stand? A drunken one-night stand? A very drunken one-night stand? Maybe a sinister plot with disastrous results? Evil experiment gone amiss? A sinister plot by Trigon? The mind just boggles over the possibilities combined with why is this future so bleak and dark. And why is this kid so young? Where is Old Woman Raven?

"My parents were in love for almost 4 to 5 years before they had me but before I was born everything went wrong okay? And I am not a kid! I am almost 41 years old!" he practically shouted; he then made a face as he tried to pull himself together "I age slowly okay? This is what happens when a pregnant woman gives birth in a magic healing capsule in the House of Mystery okay?" He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Phoenix!" Old Man Beast Boy cried out from a distance, gesturing at Phoenix "We have to go! NOW!"

Phoenix made a small face as he turned to face his father "Just a second!", he then turned to face the Titans "I can tell that he wants you to come with him okay? It's just so much for him to take in to see his friends and his younger self arrive from the past okay? Especially after what happened 40 years ago."

Phoenix then turned and walked at a deliberately slow pace so that the Titans would have enough time to catch up with him.

"So…" Robin said, sounding as if he had whiplash as he stared at Phoenix.

"Don't" Raven interrupted.

"But he…" Cyborg tried but Raven interrupted again "Don't say it!"

"So you and…" Starfire tried but Raven said, "Don't even go there!"

"We…" Beast Boy tried but was interrupted by Raven giving him a look that Batman would have been proud of, as she began to run towards the distant figure that was Old Man Beast Boy, determined to get the answer she needed, but it appeared as if some invincible force was slowing her down.

"Friend Beast Boy, you alright?" Starfire asked, noting the distant look in his friend's eyes.

"I don't know." Beast Boy said, "Seriously man what seventeen-year-old finds out that a) their future is a mess b) that their future self is a complete opposite of what you are c) they have a kid and d) who they are going to have said kid with before said people are ever even together you know?" His voice cracked "I am suffering from whiplash on what I just saw okay?"

"Tell me about it." Robin said, running up to catch up with Raven as the rest of the Titans followed their leader "I think we all are. And if that is what older Beast Boy is like I dread to see what our future selves would be like"

"Wait…your name is…Dick Grayson?" Cyborg said as he looked at Robin as if he finally found the answer to a problem that has been bugging him for years. "So that means…Bruce…"

"Let's talk about this another time, shall we? Right now I want answers to what happened in this future" Robin said in a voice that said 'If you mention this one more time, I will turn you into scrap metal'

Beast Boy looked around him, not really thinking anything other than _what the heck do I do now?_ His mind was a mess. First he learnt that his older self is a bitter old man who murders people without a second thought and now he just learnt that he had a son, a _son_. A child in this apocalyptic future that was his to care for and provide for and that was an awful lot to take in for one seventeen-year-old boy and that is not even including the fact that his older self is so old, bitter and blood thirsty. Of course, as Mento from his days on the Doom Patrol would have told him, it takes two to tango, and in this case it looks like in the future he had been 'dancing' with Raven.

Now _there_ was a funky thought.

He had always liked Raven as a friend but had only rarely given the thought of having a serious relationship with her the time of day. Though that was mainly due to the fact that every time he tried to get her to open up about herself or even show the slightest trace of a hint of an emotion he would either get thrown into a wall or she would walk away. That being said there have been a few occasions in which Raven allowed herself to display a smile or needed comforting, but other than that he couldn't think of anything.

He sighed, and thought about things some more, so in the future he and Raven had a relationship – she was in love with him – and that they had a son together just before the apocalypse. ' _Wait backup Beast Boy'_ he thought, 'in this future Raven was _in love_ with me. Love, like the cute hearts on Valentines Day smitten forever heart belongs to him in love' and he found himself somehow okay with this.

Of all the Titans, Raven was always the one who seemed to care the most about him when things would go wrong and he was always there for her when things would go bad as well. In fact, Beast Boy found himself enjoying the idea of himself and Raven having a serious relationship but knew that it would take a lot of convincing on his part to get Raven to admit that she liked him at all. But armed with the knowledge that Raven was probably going through more than he was right now.

Raven meanwhile was trudging through the sand trying to catch up with Old Man Beast Boy, but she can feel herself holding herself back.

'How could this have happened?' she thought. The moment she comprehended who Phoenix was, all her emotions seemed to have sent her a message saying something along the lines of _"You and Beast Boy belong together."_ and Raven was now left trying to figure out how the heck this had happened.

Of course if you looked at Beast Boy and Raven in an analytical sense she could see how she was attracted to him. In spite of the fact that Beast Boy was the most immature of the group ninety percent of the time of all the titans he had the biggest heart. She can remember when Malchior abused her heart in order to try and gain access into the world again as if it was yesterday. She remembered that after he was defeated, Raven felt as though she had lost the battle as well, who was she kidding, no one could ever honestly love someone who was half demon. But then when she was sitting alone in her room feeling pain in her heart like she had never felt before, of all the Titans Beast Boy came to her. She was so surprised that he cared enough to make sure she was ok that she threw herself into his arms in a tight hug. Then there was that time Beast Boy became 'The Beast' because of Adonis, and the roles more or less reversed with Raven having to pep talk to Beast Boy about inner demons and control, which was the closest time she felt genuinely connected and can relate towards Beast Boy as she herself also has problems with her inner demons.

As odd as the thought sounded to her talking with the green changling actually sounded like a good idea, of all the Titans with the exception of Starfire, Beast Boy's feelings seemed like the deepest to her, she knew there was more too him but didn't know what. But what she _did_ know is that if anyone could help her learn how to feel her own emotions it was going to be him – Raven couldn't explain why, it just felt right.

She wanted to talk to Beast Boy about this, but right now one thought lingered in her mind that made all other thought about her relationship with Beast Boy irrelevant now, _'What happened? Why is this future so…apocalyptic? Something happened, and I am going to find out what'_ her mind rang. As she got closer and closer to Old Man Beast Boy.

* * *

Old Man Beast Boy looked down at younger Raven and sighed. He knew what was going to happen. The Titan's are going to interrogate him on that fateful night. The night he killed the Titans. He wasn't going to let it happen. He doesn't want to say anything on the matter. He didn't want them to know. He can't let them know. How would they react to him? Anger? Fear? Hostility? Even if they take what Scarecrow did into account, they still would have some sort of negative reaction to him. How can he explain to Starfire that he ripped her throat out thinking that she was Blackfire? How can he explain to Raven, that he had left her to die, Constantine coming to save her or not? How can he explain to his younger self that he had single handily murdered all of his friends? How can he explain to Robin that he had watched his older – self get murdered just weeks ago? And how can he explain to Cyborg that he would become a supervillain?

He can't let them know. He can't. They are so young and innocent and untainted. How can he reveal all of this without badly damaging their mind? What would this information do them? He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about it at all. He watched as Raven and Robin walked up to him with a fierce expression on their face.

"What happened?" Raven cried, practically screaming at Old Man Beast Boys face

"Why is this future so apocalyptic?" Robin demanded looking up and down at Old Man Beast Boy as if trying to see if there are any signs that gave it away.

Old Man Beast Boy scowled "Listen here Bub!" He growled, looking at Robin with a mixed look of anger, sadness and fear. "I can buy that you are one of the Robin's from the past who ended up here in the future, but what happened, what happened to me and the world, it can't be undone. I can't let you know. I don't want you to know, because when you know, it will break yea, and I can't let that happen to yea bub."

"What!?" Beast Boy cried indignantly staring at his older self, his mind going in so may directions at once.

"Please Friend Beast Boy, Old Man Beast Boy…" Starfire cried looking at Old Man Beast Boy pleadingly "We have to stop whatever happened. I have time travelled to the future before and I know that the past mistakes can be fixed, and I know that we can stop whatever thing that did this. Please you need to tell us!"

"Yeah!" Cyborg said "You are our friend! You're my friend! You can tell us! We can handle anything!"

"I already told yea!" Old Man Beast Boy cried "I ain't telling yea anything bub!"

Then Phoenix spoke "Then perhaps I will show you." He said calmly as he raised his hands into the air.

* * *

Slowly, the incinerating desert vanished to be replaced by a large cold metal lift. Beast Boy the change in environment was so sudden so dramatic that it shook Beast Boy up. One moment his feet was buried in burning hot sand that blistered his skin looking up at the bright light of the sun that shone down on his older – self, the next he was lying on the cold metal floor of a dimly lit lift that was rattling down a cold, dark and damp floor of a metal lift.

The lift looked like any lift found in any large industrial building, with a cold har metal floor and walls, lights that constantly flickered on and off as if sending a message in Morse code, rusty doors that looked as if it would fall apart, a dirty mirror and too many buttons on the wall.

Old Man Beast Boy looked around him highly discombobulated. "Where are we?" He said gruffly looking at Phoenix, confused about their sudden shift in location.

"We are right now in your mind, looking at your memories." Phoenix said mystically, "You say that you won't tell them. I don't really know enough to paint an accurate picture on what happened. So, I chose to show them what happened in your point of view."

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy said, confused "You mean to tell me that we are right now in the mind of my cranky older self!?"

"That is correct." Phoenix said, who now chose that time to examine the buttons as if looking for a particular atom that he wanted to find.

Old Man Beast Boy looked down at Phoenix his face filled with anger. "Get…out…of…my…head."

Phoenix looked up at his father his face utterly composed "You know that they are going to find out sooner or later dad!" He said "And don't bother using your powers! They don't work here! So deal with it or else we may have to use force!"

"Can't let us know what!?" Robin said in disbelief, looking at Old Man Beast Boy incredulously.

"NO!" Old Man Beast Boy roared as he grabbed Phoenix and began to shake Phoenix violently. "I CAN'T AFFORD TO LET THEM KNOW SO EARLY! I CAN'T!"

"What do you mean!?" Cyborg cried as he ran up to the two and tried to yank Phoenix out of Old Man Beast Boy's grip "Dude! What is wrong with you?" He cried again, but Old Man Beast Boy and Phoenix didn't seem to have heard.

"Dad!" Phoenix said "What you have done, what happened that night…it wasn't your fault! It was…"

"What are you talking about!?" Raven cried standing as close as she can to Old Man Beast Boy, but he seemed to have pretended that he had gone deaf.

"NO!" Old Man Beast Boy cried punching the walls of the lift "NO! NO! NO! I HAVE JUST MANAGED TO FORGIVE MYSELF AND NOW YOU ARE SHOWING MY YOUNGER SELF THIS!? I CAN'T LET THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME HAPPEN TO HIM!" He cried pointing a hand at Beast Boy who was looking on at this scene in stunned silence.

"What are you talking about Friend Old Man Beast Boy!?" Starfire cried flying up to Old Man Beast Boy's face but Old Man Beast Boy backed away from Starfire as if she was a wasp.

"They deserve to know!" Phoenix cried "They have to know! They must know!"

"Deserve to know WHAT!?" Beast Boy cried "This is MY future! OUR future we are talking about! And you refuse to share it with me!?"

Phoenix finally seizing an opportunity dived for the buttons and he stabbed down on an atom sized button.

The lift suddenly lurched down so fast that Beast Boy felt his stomach turn inside out as they went down, down, down.

* * *

**BUMP!**

The lift suddenly lurched to a stop, sending everyone except Old Man Beast Boy crashing to the ground. The lift doors slowly creaked opened and blinding light flooded into the lift.

"Now, please follow me." Phoenix said as he walked towards the light. Gesturing at the rest of the Titans. "Come on. I have something to show you all."

"No!" Old Man Beast Boy roared, blocking the door with his body "I can't let you know! I CAN'T!"

"Move. Now." Raven said firmly. Her eyes glowing a deep shade of red.

"No!" Old Man Beast Boy cried again, but Raven raised her hand and instantly Old Man Beast Boy was sent flying backwards vanishing into the light as if fired from a cannon.

All the Titan's exchanged a look. Their minds were suffering from whiplash. None of them sure on what to do. Phoenix wants them to know something, but Old Man Beast Boy doesn't. Do they really want to know what their future is like? Do they really want to know? And yet how are they going to navigate such a place? They had just had a glimpse on what this hostile place is like and they have to know what made is so. After all, this is their future and they don't want it to be like this.

Robin was the first to go forward, he was quickly followed by Starfire, Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy at the back, his face expressing all sorts of emotions his mind suffering from whiplash.

The Titans emerged into what appeared to be the main area in Titan's Tower, but many things had changed to it. For one thing it looked significantly bigger since it had several new features including a long dining table fit for a palace was overflowing with food, a giant podium and what looked to be a hole – in – the – wall arcade.

There were around 50 people in the room, most of them were laughing and having a good time. Beast Boy looked closer at all the people and he recognised many of them. There was Jericho, now looking slightly older, was entertaining a small crowd of boys and girls with his guitar, Kid Flash and the Mexican twins were having some kind of race on a fancy looking treadmill while Jinx looked on, Aqualad and Hotspot were preforming some kind of water – fire show on the stage, a much older looking Starfire was serving a giant bowl of soup with help from what appeared to be Blue Beetle, to all the guests, an older looking Beast Boy and Raven were in a couch talking and so on. Robin raised a hand and touched a table. It went straight through it.

"You are in a memory." Phoenix said looking at Robin with a small smile "You can't really touch anything here."

"Where…I mean…when are we?" Starfire said looking around her in awe.

"June 17th, 2025." Phoenix said grimly.

"Woah. Were looking into 5 years into the future, before the world became crazy?" Cyborg said scanning the room.

"Yes." Phoenix said "and I won't bother looking for yourself Cyborg and Robin. You aren't here. But two other Robin's of Batman are though." Phoenix added as an afterthought.

"There are other Robins!?" Beast Boy cried looking at Robin in disbelief as all the Titans noticed two boys wearing Robin costumes.

"Yeah…" Robin said uncomfortably "…There are…there is Jason Todd, but it has been a long time since I had seen him…I heard Batman had taken someone called Tim Drake under his wing…and Batman told me about some rumours that Ras Al Ghul's daughter has had a kid with Batman but that's all I know…"

Phoenix nodded at Robin's remark "Yes. We can see Jason Todd and Damian Wayne. But…"

"Look." Old Man Beast Boy said weakly, as he looked on at the scene play out in front of him, his face giving nothing away. "Phoenix…please…I can't…its just that…do you know what you are doing to them?"

"Oh, but I do!" Phoenix said looking at his father "We have a chance, to stop all of that from happening practically gift wrapped with a ribbon for us, and what do you do? Reject it! We can finally stop it from happening"

"Stop WHAT FROM HAPPEING!?" All the Titans cried, but Old Man Beast Boy and Phoenix seemed to have gone deaf.

"How do you know?" Old Man Beast Boy said "How do you know that they can stop it? Even so, who would believe them?"

"They are the TITANS!" Phoenix shouted, "Of course they can do anything to stop it from happening!"

He turned to face Beast Boy "What year are you from?"

Beast Boy looked stunned at the question "What?"

"I said, what year are you from before you came to 2065?" Phoenix cried

"2020!" Robin blurted out "But what are…" But Old Man Beast Boy and Phoenix seemed to be back into their debate

"5 years! They have 5 years to stop it from happening dad! 5 whole years to stop it!" Phoenix said with a smug smile as if that resolved everything.

"HOW!?" Old Man Beast Boy roared "HOW CAN THEY!? YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DID, AND WHO WAS INVOLVED? IMPRISONMENT WOULD'T WORK! MURDER TOO! AND I DON'T WANT YOU AND MY YOUNGER ME TO TAKE THE SAME PATH AS I HAD!"

"THEY CAN STILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!" Phoenix cried, as he waved his hands in the air. The air rapidly changed like a stone dropped into water, the party scene evaporated to show a smaller, darker room where the Beast Boy of 2025 can be seen resting from playing a video game.

"How…how long are we from it?" Old Man Beast Boy said weakly looking up at Phoenix as if he was his judge, jury and executioner.

"Less than a minute." Phoenix said grimly looking upon this scene as if he dreaded to see what is happening.

"Less than a minute to what?" Beast Boy hollered, but this remark fell on deaf ears.

"Why are you doing this?" Old Man Beast Boy said sadly "You know what happened that night. You know what…what he did…you know what I did…you could have just…just…told them and…and…"

"I. Want. To. See. It." Phoenix said measuring every word he said "They. Must. Know."

"And what would that do for them? What would that do for me?" Old Man Beast Boy said in an almost defeated voice.

"Do it for me. Do it for our future." Phoenix said as he pointed at something in the air "…it begins."

* * *

He was pointing at something at the door. At first none of the Titans knew what they were looking at. But as they lowered their heads to the bottom of the door, they realised it was the end of a rubber tube, and some kind of gas in a colour that doesn't exist seemed to be coming out of it.

Just as all the Titans managed to comprehend what they were seeing, the computer started to flash red messages and alerts started to bombard the screen all of them indicating an alert from every known superhero team and superhero that wasn't a Titan.

"What is going on?" Robin said staring at the screen as he saw an alert from the Justice League, Batman, the Doom Patrol, SHAZAM, and more flood the screen.

That was when the room erupted into flames, as the loud deafening sounds of an explosion rocked through the air. It happened so suddenly that Beast Boy forgot that what he was seeing is mere memory and not a real attack. He watched his 2025 – self fly through the air like a rag doll, as he was hurtled straight into the glass door which shattered instantly, sending him into the corridor that was lined with debris.

The rest of the Titans tried to follow, but that was when Old Man Beast Boy, in a last act of defiance, ran up to stand in front of the door.

"Don't." Old Man Beast Boy cried desperately "Please, I'm begging you."

"Why?" Starfire cried "We need to know what happened in the past, so that we can understand our future!"

"No. You don't understand." Old Man Beast Boy wept "What I've done, can't be undone time travel or not."

"Yes, it can!" Phoenix cried.

"even if it can…I don't know what it would do to him…" Old Man Beast Boy said pointing at his younger self

"What do you mean!?" Beast Boy cried in indignation fed up with his older – self refusing to talk.

"Please, I don't want you to see this…its…it's the worst thing I ever done…" Old Man Beast Boy cried "I can never be at peace…never…I've had nightmares on this day for over 20 years and now you want me to re live it."

"Then just look away!" Cyborg cried desperately trying to look over Old Man Beast Boy's shoulder.

"You don't understand as well Cyborg." Old Man Beast Boy said, "What I've done is nothing to what you've done."

"Well I kind of figured that out!" Cyborg said "Get. Out. Of. The. Way!"

Cyborg made his move as he grabbed Old Man Beast Boy and tossed him out of the way as if he was a rag doll.

Seizing this opportunity, the Titans made their move as Old Man Beast Boy shouted back "I am warning you! One last time! Look away now!" But nobody heard him as they ran towards the Beast Boy of 2025 who seemed to be frozen at the balcony of the staircase.

* * *

Then a voice spoke, an all too familiar voice.

"Hello Beast Boy! This is the big one!" The voice of Blackfire rang out. The Titans began to run faster as they saw the Beast Boy of 2025 shift furiously into a large green wolf, as it growled menacingly at the unseen Blackfire who began to chuckle maniacally "Do you know how many super – villains there are for every super – hero out there? Twenty? Fifty? It was only a matter of time before someone organised all that latent talent…" That was when the wolf leapt, and at that exact moment the Titans arrived on the balcony of the staircase to stare in horror at what they saw below them.

The lobby in Titans tower was a blood bath. He saw all of the Titans in the lobby, Raven, Starfire, Blue Beetle, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Aqualad, Kid Flash, the Mexican speedster twins and all the rest. Dead. Standing over their corpses was an army of villains. The Titans had seen villains' team up before, but this is something else. Right in the centre of the room was Slade, and he was holding up the corpses of Jason Todd and Damian Wayne as if he was a director who had just won two Oscars, near him was a bloody pulp that used to be Starfire. On the other side of the room was what looked to be an alien looking down at the body of Blue Beetle as if it was a pot of gold. Reverse Flash and what looked to be two doublegangers of him were holding the bodies of Kid Flash and the twins as if they were garbage bags. Ocean Master was carrying a golden trident with Aqualad impaled on it and Ocean Master looked at it as if it was a marshmallow. Lounging on a large sofa was what looked to be if Trigon who had been shrunk down to the size of a 12-year-old boy, and he was using the bloody pulp that was the body of Raven as if it was a footrest. There was a giant puddle of blood that covered the floor, creating grotesque ripples with each movement that the villains made, and in mid air they saw the Beast Boy of 2025 in one solid stroke rip out the throat of Blackfire with its bare teeth as blood began to burst out of Blackfire's throat.

Starfire screamed an ear-piercing scream as she watched the dead body of her evil sister land on the floor as a bloody, lifeless corpse.

Slade was the first to respond, dropping the body of Jason Todd he withdrew his gun and started to fire at 2025 Beast Boy, but 2025 Beast Boy only scowled at this as he shifted into a peregrine falcon he flew at top speed towards Slade, dodging the bullets almost lazily heading straight towards him. Slade looked for a moment almost panicked as he lifted the body of Damian Wayne like a shield to protect himself, but 2025 Beast Boy didn't care, shifting into a lion, his claws ripped through Damian Wayne's corpse, almost ripping him in half. The Titans saw Damian's blood and organs explode everywhere, with most of it landing right on top of Slade. Slade only had time to remove Damian's heart from his eye to see 2025 Beast Boy slash at his chest, ripping up his armoured suit sending his bloody stomach and intestines come out of his body like candy from a piñata.

Robin gasped so hard that he felt his lungs explode.

2025 Beast Boy turned to see Reverse Flash and his two doublegangers about to make a move, all three started to run towards him at tremendous speed. They started hitting punch after punch after punch at 2025 Beast Boy's lion body and he cried out in tremendous pain. Each punch looked as if they had broken a bone. But that only made 2025 Beast Boy more angrier as if shifted into a crocodile and began to bite rapidly in the air as it ripped the leg off Reverse Flash, blood bursting out like a majestic, grotesque fountain. 2025 Beast Boy turned to the two doublegangers who froze on the spot, both of them distracted by Reverse Flash's condition. 2025 Beast Boy seized this opportunity, he shifted into a peregrine falcon again he shot up into the air like a canon, then shifting into an elephant, he fell, landing right on target with a sickening splat on all three speedsters reducing them into nothing but three deformed red stains on the floor.

The red alien goo monster came charging up at 2025 Beast Boy leading the attack with all the other villains including what he thought to be Trigons son all began to charge at him. 2025 Beast Boy extended his arms as if expecting a hug, then he shifted into a giant bird. But not just any bird. A giant emerald green phoenix, erupting emerald green fire from its body, it raised its colossus wings and gave an enraged cry of pure anger, fire came flying everywhere and it vaporized almost all the villains in the room, turning them into nothing but burnt out shells, the smell of phoenix flame was hypnotising and dazzling. Two villains remained, the alien and the demon but the green phoenix had done enough. The alien was no longer gooey but still looked out of this world from its body structure. It looked dazed, confused and weak and 2025 Beast Boy took advantage of this. He immediately shifted into a giant Asian styled dragon, and like a Boa constrictor, it wrapped its long body around the alien until he heard a soft series of cracks then a soft squelching sound and looking down at his new immense body 2025 Beast Boy saw that the alien was now nothing more than a bloody pulp.

2025 Beast Boy turned his attention to the last villain. What looked to be the mini version of Trigon, as it turned into the form that Beast Boy swore to never use again, the form of the Beast. Beast Boy stared in horror as he watched his 2025 – self charge at the stunned demon, as it attacked it blindly. Blood began to fly everywhere, as it attacked over and over, always increasing the ferocity of its attack. There was a grotesque ripping sound as its right leg was ripped off, and the Beast switching tactics used it as a club, striking the body of the demon over and over and over until the leg was nothing but a useless pulp. Then it continued its bloody attack, striking, slashing and ripping over and over and over until, it finally stopped. All that was left of the demon was its head still attached to its falling apart neck, a mangled left arm and stumps where it's legs and right arm used to be was shooting out blood like a fountain.

There was a long pause as the Titans stared down at the scene that played out in front of them, unable to speak in shock. They had just died, and Beast Boy had just avenged their deaths, in a gruesome way yes, but, the way that the Titans died…and yet…it didn't make sense? Why would his older – self hide such a thing?

"So…" Cyborg said, his voice rich with fear and dismay "Is that what you are afraid of showing? You killing for the first time? I don't really get why you are so secretive about it…"

"No." Old Man Beast Boy said grimly who looked on at the scene as if he knew what was coming next.

* * *

"What do you…" Beast Boy said, but he then looked down in confusion, as he saw a faint blue fog waft into the bloody room, as the scene began to change '…no wait…what happened to the corpse of Starfire? One moment she was there…now she vanished…' Beast Boy thought. Then he looked down and screamed as he saw the bloody body where Blackfire was suddenly change into that of Starfire. Hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't see what he thought he would see, he lifted his head, and felt his eyes pop out of their sockets as he stared in horror at what he saw. Damian Wayne laid on the floor, ripped in two, his organs laying scattered everywhere, with Jason Todd lying next to him completely disembowelled, organs, bones and his own blood was still flooding out of the giant hole in his chest. Both of their faces were blank with shock and fear. Blue Beetle was nothing more than a burnt-out bag of skin, a bloody pulp on the ground his skin was still on fire. Nothing remained of the two Mexican speedster twins nor of Kid Flash, all that was left of them were three large red splotches on the ground, nor was anything left of the rest of the Titans all of whom resembled nothing but a giant shell on fire that used to be a living being. And right in the arms of the horrified 2025 Beast Boy was Raven. All of her limbs were ripped apart as if by a savage animal, and her left arm was left as a mangled pulp. Her neck and the stumps where her limbs used to be was spewing out blood like some grotesque fountain, and her face looked as if it had almost been ripped off by giant claws. 2025 Beast Boy's claws.

Beast Boy froze. Unable to speak. So much has happened in the last hour that his mind seemed to have jammed. He felt tears dissolve his face as he finally understood what Old Man Beast Boy was trying to tell him. He had murdered the Titans. Somehow, he had killed them all. Everyone that he cared about, everyone that he knew and loved. Dead.

* * *

"Oh dear…" A soft voice said. Beast Boy looked down, the voice seemed to have shaken him up, as if it wanted to torment Beast Boy one last time. The instant he saw who it was, everything made sense. Yet Beast Boy didn't know how to react. He only stared at the figure who was looking on at 2025 Beast Boy. Scarecrow. Beast Boy had heard all about several of Batman's foes from Robin, but he never met much of any of them in person. Yet here is one of them now, true in memory form but Beast Boy can sense the fear that radiated from Scarecrow, as well as his gas that can make anyone see their worst fear. Suddenly he understood what that nozzle was. Fear Toxin. He had been drugged with Fear Toxin.

"Did you really think that you can do this alone?" Scarecrow said in a mocking sympathetic voice "Take down an entire army of supervillains? Talk about delusions of grandeur with a hint of fear and anger. But your friends. People who would hesitate. That is a different matter entirely. True I did restrain them, but I gave them a tiny fighting chance against you…My name is Scarecrow." Scarecrow said unnecessarily, "My thanks on behalf of the criminal community." And with that he vanished as if he was never there. Vanishing into a puff of fog. Never to be seen again.

Beast Boy screamed.


	7. Questions and Answers Part 1

"What!?" Beast Boy cried

"How!?" Raven hollered

"Why!?" Starfire screamed

"Who!?" Robin exclaimed

"When!?" Cyborg squawked

Hours had passed since Phoenix had released the Titan's from Old Man Beast Boy's mind and had declared that they needed to find a place to camp so that they can rest after so much happening to them. The Titans had silently agreed; however, their mind was going in so many directions that they had lost the ability to speak. All they can do was walk and follow Old Man Beast Boy, who also seemed to have lost the ability to speak, to a large desert plain that face the magnificent sunset that Old Man Beast Boy declared to be the 'ideal camping spot'.

The Titans didn't want to argue, nor did they want to do much of anything else. So many thought was rushing through their heads that it gave them whiplash. Beast Boy in particular suffered the most. In the last few hours he learnt that:

That the future is a dystopia

He is a ruthless murder in the future

That his older – self had gone out with Raven

That he had a son with Raven

That Scarecrow tricked him into killing his friends and his girlfriend

That his future girlfriend had died in his arms

That is too much for anyone to take in and Beast Boy's mind seemed to have jammed with so many questions and information to take in. Then suddenly all at once all the Titan's burst, all of them bombarding Old Man Beast Boy and Phoenix with so many questions that even they couldn't make out what they were saying.

"What..." Beast Boy started, but the question "What happened that night you killed the Titans?" stumbled against the question "What have you been doing all these years?" and fell back against the question "What did you do after you killed the Titans?"

"How…" Raven started, but the question "How was Phoenix born when I died before he was born?" bumped into the question "Did anyone survive fear toxin induced Beast Boy's attack?" which clashed with "How did you survive for so many years?" which merged with "What is this world like?" and "are there any other surviving superheroes?"

"Why…" Starfire said but the question "Why did all of these terrible things happen?" which collided with the question "What happened to the world after the Titans fell?" and "Did the same happen to the other superheroes?"

"Who…" Robin spoke but the question "Who is responsible for all of this?" fought with "Who is in charge of this horrible future?" and "What can we do to stop this?"

"When…" Cyborg cried but the question "When did you decide to become a supervillain killer?" tripped over "Where is future me?" and "What are we going to do?"

"I know that you have a lot of questions." Phoenix said, "But let me start a fire so that we can stay warm in the night" He thrusted his arm back as if about to throw a ball to the ground, then slapped the air and almost immediately a giant blue fire bust on the ground, its heat immediately soothing the Titan's nerves as if relaxing them to their very soul. The fire seemed to have lifted a giant weight from their shoulders easing their thoughts until they were practically blank. "Phoenix fire can always sooth people's nerves" Phoenix said unnecessarily.

"Right." Old Man Beast Boy said though gritted teeth as he looked up to the Titans "Listen to me kid, I'm going to hit you all at once okay? Now that you know what happened all those years ago." He sighed a heavy sigh as if he wanted to get something done as quickly as possible. "As you might have guessed, the supervillains had banded together and took down all the superheroes. Everyone. And I mean everyone from Condiment King to Darkseid. All of them killed almost everyone single superhero. Used their talents to take them all out." Old Man Beast Boy produced a flask that had enough liquid in it to overflow the ocean and began to chug at it.

He lowered the flask and smacked his lips together as he continued. "Take what you saw in my memory as an example. Luthor and Scarecrow saw that I am powerful enough and easily manipulated to be tricked, so all they had to do was throw some paralysis gas that took down all the Titans, then used a modified fear toxin on me so that I do the rest. The same happened to the Justice League, with Ares, Luthor, Darkseid, Reverse Flash, Black Adam and Cheetah attacking them all at once. The Red, Yellow and Violet lanterns took down all the Green Lanterns. Now they, the supervillains now control the world, and the remaining superheroes…they either were hunted down, or had hung up their capes, never to wear them again."

The Titans froze, their shock and horror of such a horrific future clashed with the soothing nature of the phoenix fire. But what they saw should have given it away.

"They…they took over the world?" Robin said in disbelief, unable to comprehend what he is hearing

"Yep." Old Man Beast Boy said grimly "In this country alone, Luthor got most of the east coast, Back Adam got the bible best, Reverse Flash got most of the inner west United States and Cheetah got the west coast. The rest of the villains got several other countries around the world, from Ares getting most of Southern Europe to Ra's Al Ghul getting a third of Asia."

The Titans stared at one another as Old Man Beast Boy started to list of the supervillains, as their imagination went into overdrive as they began to wonder what the world must be like with so many horrible villains in control of the world.

"…but that doesn't mean that the villains are all pals together…on no. They are also fighting each other for whatever reason. Take Reverse Flash for example. Around twenty or so years ago he was taken down by the Penguin, or to be more precise his son." Old Man Beast Boy said in a hostile voice. He then looked up at the Titans and his face changed from grimness to pity. "…This is going to be hard for you to take in. But I know that you are going to find out sooner or later."

He swung his backpack around carefully as if it contained a bomb and he turned it to face the Titans, and there, fast asleep on its own special slot was Vic the IV. Cyborg stared at the baby as he took it out of the bag as if it was a bomb, examining it as if he was an art collector seeing if a painting is a forgery. "Is…is this who I think it is?" He said in complete disbelief. "Is…is this…my son?"

"This is Vic Stone the IV. And he is your grandson." Old Man Beast Boy said chugging at a flask that had enough liquid in it to overflow the ocean.

"My…my grandson?" Cyborg said stunned "Then…where are…where are his parents? And me?"

"Cyborg." Old Man Beast Boy said, his voice suddenly extremely serious like a doctor about to deliver bad news, his face filled with sorrow. "Do you know what I said earlier about you? When we were in my mind?"

Cyborg nodded "Yeah! You said something along the lines of 'What you did is nothing compared to what I did'." He said "But I don't get it…how can I do anything worse than that? Like, did I become a supervillain?" He said laughing at his own bad joke.

But after looking at the expression on Old Man Beast Boy's face it changed from an awkward silence to pure terror. "Wait…wait…wait…hold up!" Cyborg hollered waving his arms frantically in the air "You mean to tell me that I become EVIL in the future!?"

Old Man Beast Boy nodded, his face reduced to an angry scowl "You killed Cheetah, and took her place ruling the west coast. Your family, the Cyborg gang, are nothing but hillbillies that care nothing but terrorising and killing people who don't pay their rent…including my wife and kids."

There was a long silence broken only by the crackling of the fire and the sound of the faint desert wind. "After the villains fell, I gave up being a hero." Old Man Beast Boy said as if speaking more to himself than to the younger Titans "They broke me. Broke me beyond repair. I became an aimless drifter…I eventually found a nice woman…Linda. I had a family with her...I lived on a small farm…I had four wonderful children…and …and…" Old Man Beast Boy seemed to have run out of words and he buried his hands into his face. But Cyborg finished his sentence for him.

"I…They murdered them…didn't they?"

Old Man Beast Boy looked up at Cyborg and nodded a grim nod.

"And you killed me and the rest of the Cyborg gang, didn't you?" Cyborg said sounding as if he wanted to die on the spot, unable to accept what was going on.

Again, Old Man Beast Boy nodded, tears flooding his face.

Cyborg looked down at himself, then looked back at his teammates, his face flooded with emotion that read along the lines of

"But…But…but friend Old Man Beast Boy" Starfire said in utter despair "Where were you when…when your family was killed?"

Phoenix looked on at this as if he was watching a movie and made an unpleasant sigh "Should I explain it to them…or should you?" he said sounding like a priest at a funeral.

Old Man Beast Boy nodded, and Phoenix turned to look at the Titans "I think I should start by saying that Mom had survived her attack by Dad who was on Fear Toxin, but just barely. Had it not been for Constantine, I wouldn't be here speaking to you." Phoenix said sounding like a fatigue news reporter

"Constantine?" Raven interrupted raising a hand "You mean that guy from the Justice League Dark?"

"The very same." Phoenix said with a thin smile "He is a bit of a…complicated character now."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out when Gorilla Grodd turned everyone but me, Martian Manhunter and Constantine into animals." Beast Boy said

"I see…" Phoenix said, unsure on how to respond to such a statement. "I was born nine months later in the House of Mystery when my mother was in a coma, and as I told you…I have a bit of an ageing condition." Phoenix looked down at his body at this as if it had deeply insulted him. "…as I was saying…Mom thought that Dad was dead due to the constant Supervillain attacks…I lived in the House of Mystery for nearly 4 decades…it was one of the only places left in the world that the supervillains left untouched except for the Oasis…but…but…I…I don't really want to talk about it…" Phoenix seemed to pause at this, taking sharp deep breaths as he began to pull himself together.

"…but…well…Mom found out that dad was alive a month ago when he and Nightwing…that's you Robin…came via the House of Mystery when making a delivery to Metropolis…" Phoenix said slowly as if choosing each word very carefully.

"…after the little reunion I went back to my fathers farm to visit my half siblings…and…we were attacked by the Cyborg gang…and…well I was taken down…but Dad…well things didn't go well in Metropolis…it ended with Nightwing getting killed and Dad just managing to escape…but when he found out…that…that the Cyborg gang had killed his family….he…he uh…went all Jason Bourn on the Cyborg gang, blew up Victor Stone and that was the end of that!"

The Titans nodded, but Robin was staring at Phoenix suspiciously as if he was a puzzle that he couldn't comprehend. He can tell that Phoenix was telling half the truth, and that he was trying to hide something…but what could he be possibly be hiding? His response was too long, too measured, as if trying to cover something up, which contradicts his determination when they were in Old Man Beast Boy's memory. There were so many possibilities that can happen, and Robin was determined to find out what. He just needed to find the right moment to strike.

* * *

Dinner was a subdued affair. The food, a thick vegetable curry that vaporised the tongue wasn't great, and the water from the giant bottles from Old Man Beast Boy's infinitely large rucksack was too sour, but the Titan's didn't want to argue over the quality of food and beverages after such an overwhelming day. Afterwards, Old Man Beast Boy had produced 4 old tents for them to sleep in. One for him, Vic the IV and Phoenix, another for Robin and Beast Boy, another for Starfire and Raven and finally one for Cyborg as he was too big to share one.

Beast Boy sat in his tent alone, wrapping his arms and legs into a knot, his mind still going in many directions that he was surprised that his mind hadn't blown up due to him being overwhelmed. He stared up at the blood red tent and sighed heavily as he tried to relax his mind.

"Beast Boy?" A voice said.

Beast Boy leapt out of his skin as he turned to see Raven standing on the outside of the tend looking down at him with a blank expression. "May I join you?"

Beast Boy nodded as she stepped into the tent, looking at Beast Boy with an unreadable expression. "Robin wants to be with Starfire at the moment so I think that I should talk to you for a moment." She sighed heavily "Listen Beast Boy, I don't know what to make of any of what's happening anymore." Raven began.

"Tell me about it." Beast Boy said sadly "What do you want to talk about, the fact that I, _we_ have a son? The fact that our future is the apocalypse? The fact that I was tricked into killing you? The fact that my older – self is the complete opposite to what I am? Or that…"

Raven glared at Beast Boy with a 'Stop talking or I will personally rip all your organs out' and Beast immediately stopped talking.

"If you think that you have too much to think about, you are not alone. Cyborg has to deal with the fact that he will become a villain, Starfire is dealing with the fact that she might have 5 years left to live, and Robin has to deal with the fact that the villains are ruling the world and is beginning to question some of his methods. As for me…tell me how am I supposed to be feeling right now? What am I supposed to do? I've spent my whole life pushing my emotions away and the result of that is apparently I cant deal with all this time travel."

Raven fell to her knees on a clear spot on the floor and hugged herself she had meant to only ask how Beast Boy was doing but instead had blurted out everything she was thinking and feeling on one volley. She was sick of this, she wanted to be able to feel without everything around her being destroyed or blow up or thrown into a pocket dimension.

Beast Boy meanwhile was trying to get over the shock that Raven had said more than three words to him in a single sitting, not only that but was asking him for help dealing with her rampant emotions, he had to think of something smart sounding to say fast or she would give up on him again. But Being a man of big heart over big brains he walked over to Raven, knelt down and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug.

Wanting nothing more than that, Raven leaned into Beast Boy's embrace and buried her face in his neck.

"You know I like you Raven." Beast Boy said, "You're my friend and that will never change okay?"

Raven nodded, "I don't even know what I'm feeling Beast Boy." She said, "I want to be honest with you about how I feel about you but, I honestly don't know what I feel."

Beast Boy nodded as Raven continued, he was just happy she was opening up to him at all.

"I've spent my whole life running away from my emotions Beast Boy I just don't know…" she sighed, "I don't know anything, and then I see myself or a future version of myself expressing emotions freely its just…I don't even know." She sighed in her frustration, Raven was discovering that she had bottled up her emotions for so long that now she was losing her ability to even know which emotion to feel in situations – not that this situation was anywhere close to normal but still – she, like everyone else was feeling overwhelmed.

"Are you going to be okay if there's trouble?" He asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine thank you." Raven gave him a soft smile; friends or not she knew that he at least cared a great deal for her, and that made her feel good enough that the good feeling overpowered the overwhelmed feeling.

"Alright." Beast Boy smiled, as he began to lie down in his tent trying to calm his mind to sleep.


	8. The Nightmare Part 1

_Red. That was all Old Man Beast Boy can see. A magnificent brilliant red. Not quite blood red, but a shade or two from it. It didn't make Old Man Beast Boy feel angry, nor did it make him feel sad or elated. Red just is. Not hot, not cold. It didn't make him feel happy, nor did it make him feel sad. It wasn't endless, but it certainly isn't crammed. The red just is._

_The only thing that Old Man Beast Boy can feel was that he was perfectly and utterly alone. He can sense nobody, hear nothing, smell only air, and see nothing. How oddly peaceful it was, and yet deeply unnerving._

_It was impossible to tell which way was up, which way was down, which way was left, which way was right. Time was toying with Old Man Beast Boy. Space was speaking in enigmas._

_All that can be comprehended was the red. Red. Red._

_Old Man Beast Boy was surrounded by it. Engulfed by it. Smothered by it. Turning into it._

_Old Man Beast Boy closed his eyes._

* * *

_Old Man Beat Boy then opened them again._

_The red was gone._

_Now all Old Man Beast Boy can see was the long, dark, corridor._

_The corridor was long, no end in sight. Darkness surrounded the corridor. Engulfed it. Merged with it._

_The walls were too close together, and yet too far apart._

_There were too many doors._

_The floor was splattered with red._

_Old Man Beast Boy took a step forward and then another step. Yet he made no progress forward. He increased his pace. Moving faster. Faster. Faster. Yet space and time seemed to be uncooperative._

_One of the doors opened on his left._

_Old Man Beast Boy turned, and felt his eyeballs blow up as he looked at what was looking at him._

_Nightwing._

_The large bullet hole slewing out blood from his chest and head. Gucks of pulpy organ matter slowly came dropping out from the holes, falling down onto the floor with an icky splat!_

_His head was lowered down, as if examining something interesting on the floor. Then he slowly lifted up his head and stared at Old Man Beast Boy, his face was painted in blood. His long hair was a blood paint – brush, dripping down blood like some demented dripping tap._

" _You killed me."_

_The words came out of Nightwing's lips softly, but to Old Man Beast Boy he could have shouted it into his ear._

" _No!" Old Man Beast Boy cried, unable to comprehend what he is seeing. "No! No! No! I didn't kill you! Tobias did!"_

" _You could have saved me." Nightwing said, his voice still soft, yet his tone seemed to have changed slightly. He took a step out of the door and began to walk around Old Man Beast Boy as if he was a planet and Old Man Beast Boy was the Sun. "You could have saved me."_

" _NO!" Old Man Beast Boy cried, but at that exact moment, another door opened._

_Starfire._

_Her face and head dripping, oozing with blood. Her arms hung uselessly like a rag doll. Her throat still releasing a waterfall of blood. She looked up at Old Man Beast Boy, her eyes glowing orange, her face showing nothing but pure rage._

" _You murdered me!" She sobbed, as she raised an arm to point at Old Man Beast Boy._

" _No!" Old Man Beast Boy howled, but when he looked down, he was that he wasn't human anymore, but a large green wolf. He looked down at his paws and gasped as he saw that they were covered in blood. He tried to shift back. 'Human' he thought. But nothing came. All that he can be was the Wolf._

_He looked down at his fangs and stared in horror to see that they were stained in blood. Starfire's blood. He felt his stomach turn inside out and gagged and felt something regurgitate from his mouth as out came a sickly bloody red and pink tube._

_Old Man Beast Boy stared at it and he knew what he was looking at. Starfire's throat._

" _YOU RIPPED MY THROAT OUT!" Starfire sobbed as she joined Nightwing in walking around Old Man Beast Boy. "YOU ARE NOT A FRIEND OF MINE!"_

" _NO!" Old Man Beast Boy howled._

" _You killed me" Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You could have saved me" Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _NO!" Old Man Beast Boy cried "IT WASN'T ME…IT WAS…"_

_But another door burst open and out came two Robins. Jason Todd. Damian Wayne._

_Jason Todd had a giant hole in his chest as if it had been ripped open. His intestines were coming out in a grotesque manner, trailing on the floor like a bloody piece of rope, and he looked at Old Man Beast Boy as if unsure on what he is looking at._

_Next to him, Damian Wayne stood. But something was wrong about him. He didn't look fully intact. Then Old Man Beast Boy noticed that he had been ripped in two and put back together by some invisible force, however whoever did such a job didn't do it properly as there was still a massive gap between the left and right side, that exposed all of his internal organs._

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robins screamed, as Old Man Beast Boy looked down upon himself to see that he had changed into a lion, his paws, his teeth, his brilliant green fur were stained, tainted by red._

" _NO!" Old Man Beast Boy roared, covering his hands in his paws. "NO! NO! NO!" as he saw the two Robins join the small crowd that circled around him. "I didn't! It was Scarecrow! I didn't know it was you! It wasn't me!"_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robins screamed as they joined the crowd that was now circling around Old Man Beast Boy like vultures._

_Old Man Beast Boy tried to grab one of them, but he could have tried to catch mist in his paws as they went straight through his paws._

" _You killed me" Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You could have saved me" Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _SHUT UP!" Old Man Beast Boy roared, but his cries fell on deaf ears as he saw another door open and out came Kid Flash and the Mexican Twins that resembled nothing but bloody, pulpy accordions. A giant mass of a bloody bag of skin._

" _You squashed us!" They bellowed angrily as they looked up at Old Man Beast Boy that changed into a giant elephant that had three giant bloody stains on its bottom._

" _NO!" Old Man Beast Boy bawled. "I was blinded in rage, I thought you were dead!?"_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed as they joined the party that orbited around Old Man Beast Boy._

" _GO AWAY!" Old Man Beast Boy bawled._

_He tried to run, but the floor, the very air and space itself seemed to be working against Old Man Beast Boy._

" _You killed me" Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The three speedsters bellowed_

" _You could have saved me" Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed._

" _LEAVE ME ALONE!" Old Man Beast Boy bawled._

_More doors flew open, as a swarm of faces looked down on Old Man Beast Boy. All of them were on fire. Green fire. All of them no longer human, but a burnt-out shell. Old Man Beast Boy felt the indescribable power of the phoenix burn up inside him, fulling him with power, but something was keeping it back, as if some invisible force was holding it back._

" _You vaporized us!" A chorus of voices hollered_

" _NO! NO!" Old Man Beast Boy screeched as he tried to fly up, but again, the force pressed him down, as if forbidding him to move so much as a nanometre. "I'm sorry okay!?"_

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The Titans hollered back as they joined the crowd that surrounded Old Man Beast Boy._

" _Please! Leave me in peace!" Old Man Beast Boy screeched as he tried to cover his eyes, to try and ignore them, but it made no difference whatsoever._

" _You killed me" Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The three speedsters bellowed_

" _You vaporized us!" The Titans hollered_

" _You could have saved me" Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed._

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The Titans hollered_

* * *

_There was a long pause._

_A deadly long pause._

_Old Man Beast Boy looked down. He was normal again. Human again. He looked up. And gasped._

_Linda stood in front of him, but her face looked as if it had been chewed off by some machine. In her arms was a baby. But the half of baby was missing as if it was born without a right – side. Rachel hovered next to her, her face as distorted as ever, but her limbs were missing, as if they had been ripped off. A boy and a girl were placed next to her. James and Stella. James looked as if his head had been crushed by a giant nutcracker, Stella looked as if she broke almost every bone in her body so that she resembled nothing but a bag of skin._

" _Where were you?" Linda moaned_

" _Vhy vid lou leeve vus!?" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _What took you so long!?" Stella wept_

" _Why didn't you take the Cyborg gang into account!?" James blubbered_

" _Linda…kids…" Old Man Beast Boy gasped, looking up at his dead family with tears cascading down from his face. But his family didn't seem to have heard him._

" _You disgust me!" Linda moaned_

" _Vou vre vot vu human!" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _You have failed as a father and as a friend!" Stella wept_

" _You are nothing but an untamed, blood – thirsty beast!" James blubbered_

" _No!" Old Man Beast Boy whimpered "No! No! No! I'm sorry! The Cyborg Gang…they…they came too soon…I got my revenge…the Cyborg gang is dead! No more!"_

_But his dead family did nothing but join the crowd that surrounded Old Man Beast Boy. A sea of face's looking down at him, in anger, fear, disgust and hatred._

_He looked down at himself. And stared in horror. He was the Beast. That is what they are saying he was. He wasn't Old Man Beast Boy. He isn't Beast Man. He is no longer Beast Boy. He is nothing but an untamed Beast._

_He looked up at the people that circled him. Looked down at him. Tried to cry out, try to say something, anything. But the air around him refused to cooperate. As his cries died before they exited his mouth. All he can do was watch and listen to his tormenters._

_Nightwing._

_Starfire_

_Robin_

_Kid Flash_

_The Mexican Twins_

_The Titans_

_Linda_

_Rachel_

_Stella_

_James_

" _You killed me" Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The three speedsters bellowed_

" _You vaporized us!" The Titans hollered_

" _Where were you?" Linda moaned_

" _Vhy vid lou leeve vus!?" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _What took you so long!?" Stella wept_

" _Why didn't you take the Cyborg gang into account!?" James blubbered_

" _You could have saved me" Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed._

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The Titans hollered_

" _You disgust me!" Linda moaned_

" _Vou vre vot vu human!" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _You have failed as a father and as a friend!" Stella wept_

" _You are nothing but an untamed, blood – thirsty beast!" James blubbered_

_The crowd began to orbit around Old Man Beast Boy, faster and faster. The sea of faces began to become blurrier and blurrier. The voices began to speak faster and faster._

" _You killed me" Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The three speedsters bellowed_

" _You vaporized us!" The Titans hollered_

" _Where were you?" Linda moaned_

" _Vhy vid lou leeve vus!?" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _What took you so long!?" Stella wept_

" _Why didn't you take the Cyborg gang into account!?" James blubbered_

" _You could have saved me" Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed._

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The Titans hollered_

" _You disgust me!" Linda moaned_

" _Vou vre vot vu human!" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _You have failed as a father and as a friend!" Stella wept_

" _You are nothing but an untamed, blood – thirsty beast!" James blubbered_

_Faster and faster they spoke, faster and faster they spun around him. The Beast covered its ears. Trying to block it out, trying to ignore it, trying to ignore it all._

" _You killed me" Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The three speedsters bellowed_

" _You vaporized us!" The Titans hollered_

" _Where were you?" Linda moaned_

" _Vhy vid lou leeve vus!?" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _What took you so long!?" Stella wept_

" _Why didn't you take the Cyborg gang into account!?" James blubbered_

" _You could have saved me" Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed._

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The Titans hollered_

" _You disgust me!" Linda moaned_

" _Vou vre vot vu human!" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _You have failed as a father and as a friend!" Stella wept_

" _You are nothing but an untamed, blood – thirsty beast!" James blubbered_

_The Beast roared and slashed out at the crowd in an effort to make them shut up! To end it all! But he could have tried to cut up air, as the crowd did nothing but go straight through his arm. He slashed out, again and again, and yet yielded no result. All it did was make the crowd go faster and faster._

_More faces appeared as if to taunt him more. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and more swirled into the mix. All of them chanted one thing. "You have failed us."_

" _You killed me" Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The three speedsters bellowed_

" _You vaporized us!" The Titans hollered_

" _Where were you?" Linda moaned_

" _Vhy vid lou leeve vus!?" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _What took you so long!?" Stella wept_

" _Why didn't you take the Cyborg gang into account!?" James blubbered_

" _You have failed us!" The Superheroes chanted_

" _You could have saved me" Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed._

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The Titans hollered_

" _You disgust me!" Linda moaned_

" _Vou vre vot vu human!" Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _You have failed as a father and as a friend!" Stella wept_

" _You are nothing but an untamed, blood – thirsty beast!" James blubbered_

" _You have failed us!" The Superheroes chanted_

_Faster and faster they spoke, faster and faster they spun around him. The Beast covered its eyes. Trying to block it out, trying to ignore it, trying to ignore it all. It curled up into a ball, trying to ignore the crowd, tried to think of something else, but his mind was tuned into the voices of his tormentors…and then._

_It stopped._

_All of it stopped._

_Old Man Beast Boy opened his eyes._

_He was no longer a beast._

_He looked up._

_The crowd was gone. Completely gone. As if it had disappeared into thin air._

_He sighed heavily. Finally, he was at peace. Finally, he was alone._

_He looked down, and gasped._

_He was covered in blood. Blood stained all over his clothes, blood dripped from his hands, his face, his teeth and his arms. He was drenched in it, covered in it, smothered by it._

_That was when he heard the voice._

* * *

" _No way…"_

_Old Man Beast Boy turned and stared in horror at what he saw._

_Himself._

_His younger self. Before all of this happened. Before the entire world was taken over. Before he killed the Titans. Before his family died. Before any of this ever happened._

" _Don't be afraid…please!" Old Man Beast Boy wailed, but Beast Boy backed away_

" _No!" Beast Boy cried out in horror "No! No…you…you can't be me…that's…that's impossible."_

_Best Boy turned away and began to run away in horror, afraid of his older self, afraid of what he saw._

" _Please!" Old Man Beast Boy cried "Don't go away! Your me! Please!"_

_He tried to chase him, but something was holding him back, he tried to run, to increase his speed. He roared as he tried to pounce after him, but that only brought back the crowd that now resembled nothing but dark shadows._

" _You killed me" The voice of Nightwing cried_

" _You murdered me!" The voice of Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The voice of the two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The voice of the three speedsters bellowed_

" _You vaporized us!" The voice of The Titans hollered_

" _Where were you?!" The voice of Linda moaned_

" _Vhy vid lou leeve vus?!" The voice of Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _What took you so long?!" The voice of Stella wept_

" _Why didn't you take the Cyborg gang into account!?" The voice of James blubbered_

" _You have failed us!" The voice of The Superheroes chanted_

" _You could have saved me" The voice of Nightwing cried_

" _You ripped my throat out!" The voice of Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The voice of the two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The voice of the three speedsters bellowed._

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The voice of The Titans hollered_

" _You disgust me!" The voice of Linda moaned_

" _Vou vre vot vu human!" The voice of Rachel wept, chocking on her tongue_

" _You have failed as a father and as a friend!" The voice of Stella wept_

" _You are nothing but an untamed, blood – thirsty beast!" The voice of James blubbered_

" _You have failed us!" The voice of The Superheroes chanted_

" _NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Old Man Beast Boy cried as the crowd engulfed him as he saw his younger – self vanish into the darkness as he was swallowed up by the dark, cold shadows._

_He tried to push back, to try to transform, but the shadows seemed to be in a position that prevented him to transform. He tried to punch the shadows, but he could have done more than fight a ghost. The cold dark shadows did nothing but push him down. Down into some unseen pit._

_Then Old Man Beast Boy felt the floor give way as the shadows continued to press down on him._

_Old Man Beast Boy screamed as he was sent plunging down, down, down into the unknown._


	9. The Giant's Hand

This truly is an 'ideal camping spot'.' Robin thought as he began to scale the large rocks.

The camping spot that Old Man Beast Boy had chosen was placed near a large unusual rock formation, and Robin had spotted Phoenix ploughing through the sand it when he was getting ready for bed. Seeing that this would be a perfect opportunity to spy on Phoenix and to see what he is up to.

Long before settlers came into the New World hundreds of years ago, the American Indians called this rock formation the 'Giant's Hand'. The version of the story varies from different 'tribes' to different times, but the most common version of the story went something like this:

_The American Indians believed that long ago there were 2 giants, some believe that they were best friends seeking adventure, others say that they were rivals from different clans, some legends state that they were brother and sister who were forced into an arranged marriage and are on the run, and some sources report that they were father and daughter hiding from hostile forces. But either way the two giants didn't get along very well, always arguing and fighting with one another, the reasons for such varies, but no matter what the reason was the story always ended the same with one of the giants challenging the other giant to a duel, however for whatever reason they decided to do the duel while blindfolded. The fight lasted for many years until one of the giants manages to knock her opponent down. But the other giant refusing to yield, threw what he thought to be a large tree at his opponents' face. However, when he threw it he was surprised to find that instead of it being a giant tree, he had throw his opponents' axe into her face, killing the other giant almost immediately, what happened to the dead body ranges from the formation of the rocky mountains to the dessert. The giant so shocked and upset at what he had done, cut off his own hand as a punishment for what he had done, his hand then formed the unusual rock formation that is now known as 'the Giant's Hand' simply because it looked like a giant right hand that was half buried in the sand._

* * *

The Giant's Hand had 5 large rock pillars so close together and in a shape that made it look as if a giant hand was buried under the sand, and Robin was right now scaling what is the pinkie of the Giant's hand after seeing Phoenix hide behind the Giant's hand away from the camp's view. Robin didn't know what, but something inside of him told him that this was the right way to approach Phoenix. He held onto the large iron rope that stabbed into his hand as he pulled himself up to reach the top of the rocky surface. 'this is just like climbing a building' Robin thought as he pulled himself up the 5 story high stone pillar. He knew it was unwise to look down. All he can focus on was the rocks in front of him and the dark starless sky and…

"Friend Robin!?" A voice behind Robin whispered into his ear.

Had it not been for the rope that was tied to Robin's belt and Starfire's quick reaction Robin would have most certainly have fallen to his death.

"Starfire!?" Robin whispered as he landed into Starfire's soft arms "What are you doing?"

"I may ask you the same question Friend Robin?" Starfire whispered back looking up at the rock formation around her as if she was looking at it for the first time. "What are you doing climbing up this giant rock?"

Robin sighed, he knew better than to lie to Starfire, and anyway he needed to confirm his suspicions to his friends, and Starfire is probably one of the best people to talk to at the moment.

"It is just that, with so much going on…I just feel like…feel like…" Robin searched for the right word, as if afraid that if he used the wrong letter it wouldn't end well for him, and yet he was also afraid that if he took too long Starfire might do something that might alert Phoenix. "It's just that...Star? What do you think of this future?" Robin said quickly.

Starfire made a face as if she was watching a particularly sad scene in a movie. "It's…it's…Friend Robin…I…I don't like it at all!" She wailed as she buried her face into Robin's chest. Robin fought the urge to laugh as Starfire began to exhale rapidly on his chest. Instead he chose to wrap his arm around her in a small embrace as Starfire continued "Me dead…You dead…Friend Cyborg no longer a friend…Friend Beast Boy suffering too much…and I don't even know what has happened to Friend Raven…and this planet…Earth…my home…our home…oh Robin!" She wept as she buried her face into Robin's shoulder as she let out a flood of tears.

"I know…I know…" Robin said as he patted her on the back gently. "I too am shocked with all of this…but Starfire…I…I think that there is still more…" He said very carefully as if trying to send a secret message to Starfire.

Starfire raised her drenched head to face Robin, her eyes looked as if they were about to come loose due to all the tears, and her hair looked as if it had never seen a comb. "What…What do you mean?"

Robin sighed, tasting the thick air as if it was a fine wine. "Star…what do you think of Phoenix?"

Starfire blinked as if she was asked a question that she thought she knew the answer to but had forgotten it. "I…I…I don't know what to think of him…he is the son of Friend Raven and Friend Beast Boy, so that makes him a friend…but…I don't really know what he is like…he seems to have a complicated relationship with Friend Old Man Beast Boy…I mean he did intrude into his memories for our benefit…but…but…"

Starfire paused as if she had forgotten the word that she was supposed to say, but Robin finished for her "He seems to be overdramatic and over – restrained at the same time" Robin said as if thinking out loud "We don't know much about him…or what he is like…and Star. I don't know if you are going to like what I am going to say…but I think that he could be hiding something…the same goes for Old Man Beast Boy."

There was a long pause. Broken only by the sound of the air that blew dagger like sand into Robin's face. Then Starfire nodded "Yes Friend Robin, I understand what you mean…but what does you having to climb up this rock have to do with Phoenix?"

Robin smiled slightly, "If you give me a lift up, you will see…" He said pointing at the top of the Giant's hand. Starfire smiled her usual goofy smile as she launched herself on the top of the pinkie finger of the Giant's hand carrying Robin with her.

The top of the Giant's hand pinkie finger wasn't particularly comfortable, nor did it give much of an interesting view except for the pure darkness of the sky that was smothered by clouds and the endless landscape of sand that gave no views of interest save for a few stray rocks here and there as well as the shadows that was the campsite.

Robin looked straight down, taking out a special pair of binoculars that were made to see in the dark, but he immediately realised that he won't be needing them. Directly below him and Starfire was a giant circle of blue fire, in that circle was a mysterious pattern in all different shapes and sizes that kept on changing so quickly and so rapidly that Robin was having a hard time trying to remember them all. Right in the middle of the circle was a small figure that was almost certainly Phoenix, doing…something…Robin couldn't tell what, but judging by the shadows cast by the phoenix fire, he appeared to be meditating.

"What do you think he could be doing?" Starfire whispered into Robin's ear

"I don't know Star." Robin said turning to his lover "I…I don't know?"

"Friend Robin." Starfire said "I…I am concerned."

"About what?" Robin asked looking up at Starfire

"You know those…those…those men in red hoods…" Starfire whispered "…they…they seem…they seem to be…extremely…hostile!"

"I know Star, I know." Robin said calmly looking at his girlfriend

"It's…it's just that…they seem to be capturing children! People! And taking them to…to…" Starfire said indignantly, but she seemed to have forgotten a word.

"Salt Lake City" Robin reminded her

"Yes!" Starfire cried "I…I know that I can't help them…even if they are any people who were captured…but…but it's just…I…I can't believe it…"

Robin sighed, unsure on what to say back. He too wanted to help those supposed captured people, but how reliable are those men in red hoods? For all he knew it could be another place called Salt Lake City or a code, or even they could be taken in multiple place around the world and...Robin shook his head and tried to regain his train of thought.

He looked down again expecting to see Phoenix still meditation over the phoenix fire but was surprised to see that the phoenix fire appeared to have gone out to be replaced by a murky darkness.

"That's odd…" Robin mumbled "Where did he go?"

"You know..." A sharp blunt voice said suddenly behind Robin and Starfire. Robin and Starfire were so surprised that they leapt out of their skeletons as they turned to see Phoenix hovering in mid-air looking down at them like how a strict parent would when catching their kid sneaking out at night. "…has Raven ever told you not to interrupt her when she is meditating?" He said calmly, "Well, it's the same for me."

Robin stared up at Phoenix unable to think on what to say, but it was Starfire that spoke first "How…how did you know?" She said "How did you know that we were…" But Phoenix competed Starfire's sentence.

"Please." He said sounding more like Constantine than his parents "I have both Raven's AND Beast Boy's powers! So of course, I would have heightened senses as well as having all that feeling based magic and all that! So, unless if you are a robot or have a metal helmet on, someone sneaking up on me might as well…" at this he moved his arm in the air as blue fire emerged several feet above Robin and Starfire's head. For a moment, Starfire didn't know what Phoenix was doing until he drew a giant arrow of fire that was pointing at Robin and Starfire's head "…be carrying a giant neon sign with them that has a giant arrow pointing at them saying…" at this he drew a finger and drew what he said into the air "… _'Here I am, someone who is spying on you right now!'_ " Phoenix threw back his arms and looked up at the sky as if talking to the sky than Robin and Starfire"So, when I overheard your little conversation as well as detecting your…aura…I knew that I should correct your assumption that I am an easy person to spy on!"

He looked down at Robin and Starfire as if he had forgotten that they were there "…I'm sorry that I kind of over – reacted okay?" He said in a not so monotone voice "It's just that my powers…well…" He paused as if searching for the right word.

"Can effect your personality?" Robin said pulling the answer out of thin air. He didn't know what made him say it, but it was as if something in him had nudged him into saying it.

"…you could say that yes…It's…it's…it's just…it's just that…that…I…I am not in control as mom okay! My animal side rejects that!" Phoenix murmured under his breath in such a way that his words ended up coming out almost inaudibly. He then looked down at Robin and Starfire with a sigh "Look, I know why you are spying on me, you want answers to what this world is like? how we can stop it all? how you are going to get back? yada, yada, yada." He gazed at the distance as if seeing an invisible sunset. "It's just that for one, so many things have happened in the last 40 years that we can't possibly reveal it all to you, so what I have shown you this afternoon is just the beginning, there are so many other things that we hadn't even told you about…"

"What do you mean?" Starfire said in confusion.

"Starfire." Phoenix said in a measured tone "The world has changed. People have changed. Some place is in complete anarchy and chaos, other places you can get executed on the spot just for thinking of stealing a can of soup. You getting involved in all this threw a giant wrench into things, true, I admit at first I was hopeful that we can have a chance at fixing things, but after a while I realised that things are more complicated than it is…we would have to find a way to get you back, and it is how that concerns me and dad, and later mom." He sighed again as he looked into the distance as if looking for a particular atom "…especially when it comes into what our next destination is" he said grimly.

"Where are we going next?" Robin asked

Phoenix pointed at the Giant's hand as if accusing it of a crime and said "this is the border between what used to be Cyborg territory…" he said pointing at the campsite "…and over there…" he said pointing at the land that went past the giant's hand, "is what used to be the territory of the Penguin, and its capital, Salt Lake City." He said

"SALT LAKE CITY!" Starfire exclaimed "That was the place those men in red hoods mentioned Robin!" But Robin didn't seem to be listening, he looked up at Phoenix as if demanding answers "we encountered some truly bad, miserable, vile, hostile, carnivorous, grim people before you rescued us!" Starfire blurted out "and they said that they captured other people and they also went to Salt Lake City!"

Phoenix nodded, but Robin scowled as if realising something. "What do you mean _'Used to be'?_ " Robin asked.

Phoenix sighed looking up at Robin with a grim look. "You see, almost a month ago, the Penguin has been overthrown and is now been replaced…by…by…" Phoenix looked up at Robin as if trying to convey his message with his facial expression rather than words.

"It's just that…if you…you Robin were to enter Salt Lake City, or even this territory." He said gesturing at the sandy field as if it was a minefield "You have a giant target on your back. Because the leader of this new area will have a lot of interest in you."

"Why?" Robin asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh Robin…" Phoenix said sadly "…It's your daughter…Ashly…We are going to enter the Realm of the Robin, and dad wants to kill your daughter."


	10. The Realm of the Robin

**Salt Lake City,** **The Realm of the Robin,** **Time: 0:01**

Georgina Quill was afraid for her life. She felt the very air around her begin to crush her very body, as if all the atoms around her had suddenly increased in its mass. She took in a deep breath, taking her time, as if the air she inhaled was a fine wine.

Her legs felt as if they had been turned to jelly as it wobbled left, right, up, down and in so many other directions. Her left arm felt as if it was turning into stone and her right arm…her right arm felt as if it was turning into ice. Her chest…her chest felt as if all her organs were attempting to escape her body, as if they wanted to quit working for this incompetent body as fast as possible. Her face…her face felt as if it lost the ability to feel, as if it wasn't there at all.

She looked around her, her neck protesting as she rotated her neck, searching, scanning for anything that can help her. She was squashed by rough walls that stabbed her back and her arms; she was in a narrow, empty alleyway that seemed determined to kill her.

She looked up at the giant figure that was casually strolling up to her as if she was a guest at a dinner party. Even though he was shrouded in the shadows, his features were unmistakeable. He had a bald head that looked as if it was polished until it gleamed, eyebrows that was as thick as iron, a fat nose and a slick smile.

"Well…well." The figure said as he walked towards Georgina taking his time "…thought that you would get away from me?"

"Stay away from me!" Georgina hollered

"What?" The figure sneered; his face filled with greed "I didn't do anything to you…yet!" He laughed at his own joke as he extended his elastic like arms to touch Georgina and…

**BANG!**

Georgina blinked. The figure in front of her seemed to have frozen, as if his bones had turned to stone. But his face had changed from pure greed to shock as his eyes widened his thin smile changing to a blank 'O'. Then the figure collapsed down as if he was a rag doll. A single bloody hole in his back was spewing with blood, destroying his ragged clothes. She looked up. The ally was empty, deserted, nothing to be seen.

Georgina took this opportunity and ran, jumping over the corpse like a hurdle she ran as fast as her legs can carry her, not caring what has happened and why, she needed to go home.

* * *

**S** **omewhere near Salt Lake City, The Realm of the Robin,** **0:02**

Night seemed to swallow Grey's store. It was placed right in the middle of a park as if it was dropped there carelessly by a God. It isn't true to say that Grey's store is big, but it will be a lie to say that it is small. But the one word that can easily describe Grey's store regardless on one's perception on size was that it was most certainly overflowing with stuff. There were piles of objects, heaps of items, towers of evidence, bales of materials, clusters of details, stacks of substances, hordes of pieces, arrays of articles, constellations of details, galaxies of junk, and universes of thingamajigs–an accumulation, an aggregation, a compilation, a collection, a concentration, a crowd, a herd, a flock, and a register of seemingly everything on Earth.

There was everything the alphabet could hold from automobiles and alarm clocks, bandages and beads, cables and computers, discs and dominos, earmuffs and emery boards, fiddles and fabric, garrotes and glassware, hang gliders and husks, icons and instruments, jewelry and jogging shoes, kites and kernels, levers and lawn chairs, machines and magnets, noisemakers and needles, orthodontics and ottomans, pull toys and pianos, quarters and quivers, race cars and rucksacks, saws and shields, teaspoons and ties, urns and ukuleles, valentines and vines, wigs and wires, xeranthemums and xylorimbas, yachts and yokes, zithers and zabras.

Mr. Grey sat at the front desk that was placed right in between the entrance of a library labyrinth, and the maze of paintings. Mr Grey was a tall man, with limbs that was too long, a head that looked to be on fire, a terrific handlebar moustache, ears that were too big for his head, overblown lips and eyes that looked to be mechanical.

He was wearing the oddest assortment of clothes, which includes red sunglasses that looked to have been made by the devil himself, a violently orange raincoat that was at least 10 times too big for him, a blindingly yellow thick wool gloves, on his right foot was a worn out puke green rubber boot that belonged to a child, on his left foot was a blue running shoe that looked as if it was tailored for his use, indigo stockings that looked to belong to an old woman, a purple dress that had too many pockets, a brown shirt that looked as if it had been dragged through a sewer, on his right wrist was a golden bracelet that was too small for him, on his left wrist was a complex silver watch that was too big, around his neck was an anchor sized bronze locket, on his left hand he had a thin metal ring that had an oversized pink gem, on his right hand he had a ring that seemed to have used all the metal in the world to produce but only contained a tiny peach coloured gem, he wore a black top hat that looked to be from the 1800's that was both too big and too small for his head, a pure white bride's veil, a grey tie that one would wear to their 2nd least favourite family members funeral, a beige monocle that belonged in the 18th century, an oversized cyan bow tie, a magenta ribbon that was tangled in his hair and a giant lilac cape that was too long.

There weren't a lot of people in the store today save for a few kids that were lost in the library labyrinth, a couple of people examining random objects and so on. Mr Grey was engulfed in an oversized book that he didn't notice the woman enter the store. The woman didn't look attractive, nor was she ugly, in fact she looked extremely ordinary that nothing much can be described about her except for the fact that she obviously looked overwhelmed by the amount of stuff on display.

She looked around her as if looking for a particular molecule, scanning all around her until her eyes locked onto it. The goblet. The goblet looked antique, like something that belonged to King Arthur. It was golden decorated with every known animal in existence from aardvarks to anteaters, bees to beasts, centaurs to cheetahs, dogs to dragons, emus to elephants, fylgjas to foxes, griffins to geese, horses to hydras, incubuses to iguanas, jackalopes to jaguars, kingfishers to kappas, landvættirs to llamas, mongoose to mice, nguruvilus to naguals, octopuses to orangutans, penguins to phoenixes, qalupaliks to quaggas, ravens to robins, sea – lions to snakes, thunderbirds to tigers, undine to unaus, vultures to veðrfölnirs, walruses to wolves, xolmies to xecotcovaches, yetis to yaks, zebras to zburătors. The cup wasn't big, nor was it small, but it can fit rather uncomfortably, in someone's pocket. The woman picked up the goblet examining it carefully as if it is worth her time. Then she nodded, then looking around her to make sure nobody is looking, lowered the goblet to her pocket…

**BANG!**

The woman collapsed. Dead on the floor. The goblet still clutched in her hand. Blood and brain guk flooded the floor. Her face forever frozen in that of her eagle like stare.

Mr. Grey looked up from his book and sighed as he picked up a mop and bucket out of thin air and strolled up to the corpse "Not another one." He mumbled under his breath as he dipped the mop into the overflowing bucket "I'm sick of cleaning up blood in my store. I mean honestly." He said as he kicked the body to the corner as if she was nothing more than a bag of flour.

* * *

**0:03**

Ashly Guy Grayson smiled to herself as she looked at the computer screen as if she had just beaten her high score in a video game. She was wearing a Robin costume that fit her perfectly and she wore it as if this was her normal everyday wear. The room that she was in wasn't grand, it looked like the office that belonged to any 2nd level corporate executive in the world and Ashly didn't intend to decorate it in the future. It was simply furnished with a cheap desk, a couple of chairs and small collection of paintings. The lights were all out, there were no windows that opened up to the outside world and the only source of light came from an oversized computer.

A voice from an invincible speaker spoke out "Shoplifter – 292 eliminated." The voice sounded robotic, non – human, with no sign of emotion whatsoever.

"Good! Very good!" Ashly said with a thin smile "Are there any more crimes yet to happen?"

"None at the moment." The voice responded back

"May I have the crime figures?" She said casually.

"Murder rates had fallen 85% compared to the previous week." The voice said as complex diagrams flashed on the screen "Rape cases has fallen 90%. Robbery rates has fallen 70%. Average daily reported crimes before you came into power: 50,000. Average daily reported crimes after Operation Oversight came into effect: 5."

"Wonderful!" Ashly said clapping her hands that sounded like a gunshot "This will be excellent conversation starters with dinner with Ras Al Ghul tomorrow!"

"I see." The voice said

"You know the drill whenever something happens" Ashly said yawning loudly, stretching her limbs so far that it looked as if they were about to pop.

"We have detected possible hostiles on the border Madam." The voice said suddenly.

Ashly paused, as if she was this statement had some kind of effect on her, then she shook herself and gazed at the screen as if it can provide all the answers in the world. "Give me a visual." She said sounding like a military commander as she threw on a giant pair of headphones.

There was a soft pause as the screen changed to show the Giant's Hand. Ashly paused, gazing at the screen as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Then her shock changed into a smug grin as the voice then said "Suggest immediate termination…"

"No, No, No!" Ashly said laughing at some private joke "Do not hurt anyone in that group, understand me?"

"But M…" the voice said but Ashly interrupted.

"If this is what I think it is…" she said slowly "If this is what I think it is, then I want them alive! But it already appears that they are coming for me…and when they do, THEN we strike. But I ask one thing. If we can, spare the one in black hair, and the old guy for good measure, hell spare them all! But I want the black-haired one!"

"Why?" The voice said in an odd tone.

Ashly chuckled as she leaned back against her chair as if she was in a lounge "Well. I have finally found something else to show to Ras Al Ghul, I mean, who else likes to watch death tournaments? And I get to finally do something I been wanting to do for all my life! Finally have a chance to have a good, long fight with my father!"

She stood up, beaming as if presented by a giant treat "In 12 hours' time Ras Al Ghul arrives, in 18 hours' time we have dinner, in 19 hours' time our guests will arrive, in 20 hours' time the fight begins and in 24 hours' time Dick Grayson will be dead in my hands!"


	11. Troubled Thoughts Part 1

**A/N I know that this chapter is short, but I am in a bit of a writers block right now and this is the best I can come up with that leads up to Act 1's climax and finale. If you have any ideas or suggestions for this story/series please comment below, or PM me, thank you!**

"I have a WHAT!?" Robin hollered waving his arms rapidly in the air "I have…I have a daughter!?"

"Yeah…" Phoenix said calmly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "…you do...with Guy Gardner's daughter…"

"But…but…" Robin stuttered his mind felt as if it was forced to digest something when it was already choking on so many things "…How!? Why!? When!? Starfire…"

Phoenix sighed as if he had regretted speaking at all "…look." He said firmly "…I know that you love Starfire and all that but she is dead here. D.E.A.D. Dead. Okay? All that I know about her is that you is that you and dad were on a rescue mission to save your daughter Ashly, it succeeded, but Ashly then killed the Penguin and took his place! She attempted to kill you but that is all I know OK!?""

Robin sat down on the rough rock, his mind still swirling in many different directions, Starfire did the same her face utterly blank as if all emotions has been sucked out. "Look. I am sorry for overwhelming you." Phoenix said pausing at each word as if using the wrong one would have dire consequences "But it's just that you arrived at a very bad place in time and…well…you should probably get some rest okay?"

Robin looked down; his mind unable to comprehend it. He had just learnt that his daughter…and now that very daughter had just killed one of the supervillains that now rule this apocalyptic world and has now taken his place. Briefly he wondered that perhaps, just perhaps she could be a better 'ruler' than the other supervillains…and yet…something inside Robin told him that this wasn't true, and that Ashly could be just as bad if not more…And yet Old Man Beast Boy wants to kill her, and of course Robin wasn't going to let that happen, he is Robin after all and his number one rule like 99% of all superheroes is to never kill. And yet…Phoenix did say that Ashly did want to kill his older self. But why? Why would she?

Then came another question that lingered on in his mind. What is he going to do to stop this future from happening? Sure, he can relay everything to the Justice League about what he saw, and Batman can easily back him up along with other things like Cyborg's recordings to Wonder Woman's lasso of truth and all that. However how are they going to stop this future from happening?

Sure, imprisonment would do good, and separating all the top villains in command into different prisons can fix that, however, they can so easily break out of jail and do goodness knows what. Sure, it can work for people like Luthor, Penguin and all that, but then there are the other villains that are impossible to take down. Ares, Black Adam and Darkseid are apparently in cahoots and that is more than enough to send many red flags flying.

Killing was off the table. He refused to do so. It was the #1 rule of being a superhero and that isn't counting that Batman had hammered this into his head. But just for a second, his mind thought that if they just got rid of all the people who were involved in the attack of the supervillains then this world would be a better place.

He slapped himself hard. _'Don't think of that Robin!'_ he thought to himself. He can't let himself think that. Yet how can he stop this future without killing them?

Robin held his hands to his head groaning. He couldn't take it in anymore. This future. Everything. His mind was so overloaded so overwhelmed that all he needed was sleep. He looked at Starfire and then at Phoenix.

"I…I need to get back to my tent" Robin said sounding more exhausted than he felt "…I…I need some sleep…"

Phoenix nodded "I understand." He said sounding like a priest at a funeral "After all of this revelations on how this future came into being and all that…we…dad and I…just want to prepare you for all this…and we just needed to tell you the important bits first…okay…"

He sighed again "Anyway…goodnight to you." And with that he flew away.

Robin and Starfire sat on the Giant's hand until Robin made his hand gesture to Starfire that they should probably go back to their tents and Starfire obliged, picking Robin up and flying down. Their faces doing all the talking.

' _How bad is this future? How are we going to get back? And what are we going to do to stop this future?'_

* * *

Cyborg sat in his tent, unable to sleep. He looked down at his hands as if they had personally horrified him in some way. He didn't want to think about it. He tried to close his eyes, to relax his body to sleep, and yet what Old Man Beast Boy and Phoenix just said had just burned something into his mind like burning hot metal on skin.

His greatest strength…his cybotic parts…something that he used to hate, and now loves…something that is part of him will turn against him. There might as well be a countdown displayed on his chest reading _'Time until I become_ evil'.

He didn't want to know what or how he became 'evil'. Hell, he didn't even want to know what he did when he was 'evil'. Just hearing about what the Cyborg gang did to Old Man Beast Boy's dead family was enough and he didn't want to hear the random anecdotes that Old Man Beast Boy had been whispering under his breath.

Old Man Beast Boy had told the Titans about what he had done to the Cyborg gang as well as that fight with his older – self. If Beast Boy, the kind, optimistic, goofy person, and Cyborgs best friend can turn into a killing machine, a monster, a beast in just 4 decades, he couldn't imagine what his future – self would be like. He knew that the motherbox and all that did give off a large amount of radiation, but he didn't want to know what it would do to him. He didn't want to think of what his future – self would be like.

Cyborg's mind then drifted to Bumblebee. He did indeed have feelings for her of course, but he shuddered to think on what his older self would be like to her and the rest of his kids or even what Bumblebee would be like in this future. He didn't even want to know what he is like as a 'ruler' of the western coat of the United States.

Then his mind said something he dreaded to think about. The voice, a demon like voice spoke out to him _'Maybe...just maybe…this apocalyptic future can be prevented if he doesn't exist at all'_

Cyborg felt like punching himself in the face the moment the thought rang through his head. The voice seemed to be taunting him, eating him up from the inside. He knew who and what the voice was. Brother Blood.

' _No…don't be ridiculous Cyborg!'_ Cyborg thought to himself _'Your better than this! I can't just do that! If we prevent this future, maybe I won't turn evil!'_

' _Are you sure?'_ the voice in his head said again _'What makes you so certain? I mean, how do you know if you are becoming 'evil'? How are you supposed to know that this is your destiny? To rule the world?'_

' _Maybe this future me took a dark path!'_ Cyborg thought _'And once this timeline is wiped out of existence, maybe older me wouldn't have gone down that path!'_

' _Really? But how much do you know?'_ the voice said in a mocking tone _'I mean…how much do you know about your future self? You know what I am saying right? Plus, lets address the elephant in the room. You can tell that Phoenix and Old Man Beast Boy is hiding something, and you should find out what it is.'_

' _What are you talking about!?'_

' _Oh…poor pitiful Cyborg…you know what I mean, you will find out'_

' _Oh yeah!?'_ Cyborg thought _'How!?'_

' _Yourself of course! Your Older – self will show up, and don't deny that you think that he is dead'_

There was a long pause broken only by the stiff howls of the wind and the strange beast like growls that came out of Old Man Beast Boy's tent showed that he was fast asleep. Sleep took Cyborg away, carrying down into darkness.


	12. The First Lecture

The sun rose up from the horizon unleashing all the colours of the world into the sky, its heat hitting anyone like a truck and the brightness blinds anyone who so much as looks upon it.

Old Man Beast Boy gazed at the sunrise as if it was a friend that he had never seen for a long time. He sat on a cheap wooden stool as if it was some kind of lounge chair, somehow keeping his balance in the rough sand. The light vaporizing his face didn't seem to faze him at all. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, tasting the very air as if it was a fine wine. Looking at Old Man Beast Boy now it was impossible to tell that he had a troubled night's sleep as his grumpy and sad face can be easily can be passed off as pure grouchiness of waking up early in the morning.

In front of him was a small black caldron that looked to be something that a witch from a 1950's horror movie would use to make cheap potions. Inside the caldron was what appeared to be cold liquified sewage that gave off a strong aura that set fire to the inside of peoples nose and made their lungs turn inside out.

"…uh…hey…" A voice behind Old Man Beast Boy said. Old Man Beast Boy turned to see his younger – self staring back at him with an unreadable expression. Old Man Beast Boy looked back at his younger – self the same way a doctor would when delivering news to someone in a waiting room. "…uh…Older me…uh…good morning!" Beast Boy said with a fake smile as he sat down on a large pile of sand that threatened to vaporise his backside.

Old Man Beast Boy looked down and grunted, producing a small plastic bowl and a large plastic water bottle out of thin air and passed it to his younger – self "Breakfast. Its stew. Vegetarian of course. I haven't dropped that you know." Old Man Beast Boy said lazily as he indicated at the caldron as if he didn't want to look at his younger – self. Beast Boy hesitantly poured some stew into his bowl as if he was handling a bomb. Looking up at his older – self he took a sip of the stew and found that it tasted better than it looked and smelt, had it not been too bitter and spicy at the exact same time, however Beast Boy felt so hungry that he didn't care that he finished the stew in three gulps.

"Why are you up so early?" Old Man Beast Boy said in a gruff tone as he looked down at his younger – self the same way a teacher would look at a mildly talented student "Its early in the morning, and knowing what I was like 45 years ago, I tended to be the last one up, not the first."

Beast Boy blinked rapidly, unsure on how to answer the question, he looked down at the water bottle in his hand and sighed heavily. He had a troubled night's sleep. His mind was too overwhelmed to do so. In fact, Beast Boy wasn't even sure if he had slept or not, if he had he was sure that he would have had a nightmare, but if he hadn't, why was he feeling so 'energetic'?

Old Man Beast Boy looked at his younger – self's face and nodded as if his facial expression alone was enough to tell him everything. "I see." He said solemnly as he took out his flask and chugged at it. "I can understand that this is too much for anyone to take in…All the things that has happened in the last 4 decades and all that."

Beast Boy said nothing. No words can escape his mouth as he looked up and down his older – self as if still trying to comprehend him. "I know that you have a lot to take in…" Old Man Beast Boy said sadly as if at a funeral "…so if you want to talk about it, now would be a good time."

Beast Boy looked around him, trying his best not to look at his older – self his mind overloading with things he wanted to say, all of the words in his mind were fighting with each other, determined to go first out of his mouth, then suddenly, without realising or thinking what he was doing, he whipped his head to face his older – self and said the first thing that fired out of his mouth "Why do you kill?" Beast Boy babbled "It's like the number 1 rule that superheroes follow, never kill" he added hastily

Old Man Beast Boy looked down on the ground as if trying to find a particular grain of sand, his face was unreadable as it seemed to be expressing too many emotions all at once. Then Old Man Beast Boy looked up at his younger – self and sighed.

"Allow me to tell you a story about something that happened to me, long before all of this." He said as he gestured all around him as if talking about something unspeakable. "44 years ago, me and the rest of the Teen Titans including Robin, Raven, Starfire and Cyborg were sent to an alternate dimension by an alternate version of Batman. And let me tell you this. That universe would make this place look like paradise. There we learnt that the Joker had tricked Superman into killing Lois Lane by using fear toxin to make him think he is killing Doomsday. The Joker also stole a nuke which he set to detonate in the heart of Metropolis when Lois' heart stops. Superman then kills the Joker in retaliation for all those deaths. Superman then sets up a regime where he rules the world with an iron fist…"

"Yes, yes very interesting!" Beast Boy said, "but what has this got to do with you killing people?"

"I'm getting to that." Old Man Beast Boy said through gritted teeth "What happened in the next 5 years after that is complicated but to oversimplify it, a Good Lex Luthor who temporarily worked for Superman made a pill that can give people almost the powers of Superman. Batman managed to replicate the pill, which costed Green Arrow's life and half of the Titans getting thrown into the Phantom Zone. An incident at Arkam ended with Damian Wayne siding with Superman's regime, Harley Quinn joining the good guys and Nightwing, Dick Grayson 'dead'. Then Superman, with help from the yellow lanterns took down the entire Green Lantern Corps that attempted to take him down and that incident ended with Cyborg joining Superman. Constantine and Raven tried to use magic and Trigon to take Superman down, but Mr Mxyzptlk intervened. That fight ended with Raven as a servant to Trigon. Then there was an incident with the Greek Gods which resulted in Starfire going insane, and me having to lead an already broken Titans." Old Man Beast Boy sighed as he looked at his younger – self with a traumatised look. "Do you see where I am going with this?"

"No…" Beast Boy lied, but his voice gave it away. He had an idea on what they were implying, and he didn't want it to be true.

Old Man Beast Boy continued "…while the Justice League from another universe were dealing with their 'evil' counterparts, the rest of the Titans were trying to get the rest of the Titans out of the phantom zone. It is there were we met me and Nightwing's alternate self." Old Man Beast Boy sighed "Imagine for a moment that you are that Beast Boy. Imagine what all of those events can do to you?"

"…I…I think that…that I would…I might get a bit…mad…" Beast Boy stuttered trying to force the words out of his mouth

"Yes…Your right. That me is certainly not as violent as me, but the point I am trying to make is this…" Old Man Beast Boy said making weird hand gestures as he spoke "When times change, people change so that they can survive. You and I know that better than anyone with our knowledge on animals and all that."

Beast Boy nodded at this cryptic statement as Old Man Beast Boy continued. "Lets us use that version of me as an example. He has to live in a totalitarian regime where Superman rules the world. If that wasn't enough, he has to deal with the fact that his friends die or become evil or go mad or vanish of the face of the Earth. He will be forced to fight dirty, and yes if he has to, he will have to kill. But the key phrase here is if he has to. Understand?"

Beast Boy nodded still confused on what his older – self is saying.

"Now think about what happened to me." Old Man Beast Boy said gruffly as he looked down at his younger – self with a fierce look "Tell me all that you know about what happened to me in the last 4 or so decades."

Beast Boy gulped as his mind began to replay everything that he had learnt in the previous day "The…the supervillains took over the world and killed most of the superheroes…" Beast Boy croaked as he forced the words out of his mouth "My best friend…became evil…and he…he killed my family…and…and" Beast Boy struggled to get the worst thing out as he struggled to blurt out "Scarecrow…made me kill almost all of my friends!"

"Yes." Old Man Beast Boy said grimly "What happened there and here is the same. This place. This world. Its now no longer orderly as it used to be. One area in the world can be complete anarchy while its neighbour might as well be Nazi Germany. The world is now a complete wreak. The people in power here will want to kill you, and there are no more effective prisons anymore. Besides, they will always break out and they will seek vengeance against you. So yes, there is now a new rule in this world. It is either kill or be killed. Or let a horrible regime rule over people in fear. Not a good choice ain't it?"

"So…is that what you're saying…" Beast Boy said slowly "When times change…people change…and this is a kill or be killed world…"

Old Man Beast Boy nodded "Yes." He said sounding like a mourner at a funeral, "But listen to me very carefully. Even if you do make it make it back to your time. I ask you this. Don't be like me. Even if I was forced to be like this or not, I ask you, I beg you. Please. Don't. Be. Like. Me. I do what I have to do because that is what is necessary at this time. And I only kill people who absolutely deserve it. But back at your time…" Old Man Beast Boy paused as he rubbed his hands against his face. "And let me make this absolutely clear." Old Man Beast Boy said adding too much emphasis on each letter he said "I don't kill children. I don't kill people who do minor crimes, and I most certainly don't kill innocent people! I kill criminals who murder and rape." He paused as he began to chug more at his flask

"But…I don't want you, or any of my friends to go down this inescapable path." Old Man Beast Boy said as he began to chug more from his flask "Killing people and all that. Please. I can get away with it. But not you or the rest of the Titans. I am done hiding for 40 years. I am done being a pacifist farmer. I am ready to fight, and I have little to lose. And for those that I do have to lose…well they are there to show what I am fighting for."

"Phoenix?" Beast Boy said as he looked at the tent where the dozing Phoenix was sleeping.

"Yes." Old Man Beast Boy said, talking more to himself than to his younger – self, looking at the sleeping boy with a glum face "He is my son. And I need someone by my side to make sure I don't go too far, to teach them that we can always go back to the normal ways...if you know what I mean."

Beast Boy nodded as Old Man Beast boy stared back at Phoenix

"That brings me to my next question." Beast Boy said talking out one of his thoughts that bugged his mind "Raven."

"What about her?" Old Man Beast Boy said

"Well…its just that…" Beast Boy said now regretting that he had spoken "How did I end up with her? I mean…why would I be with her?"

Old Man Beast Boy sighed and made a small smile as he looked down at his younger – self "Well…that I can't revel right now…But all I can say is this…Raven needs someone hopeful in her life, as well as finding someone who is also struggling with, well…inner demons."

Beast Boy blinked rapidly at this statement as he watched the rest of his teammates blearily get out of their tents. Old Man Beast Boy turned his head at the approaching Titans, then he leaned in towards his younger – self so close to his face that for a moment Beast Boy thought he was about to kiss him. "I know what you keep in the 4th drawer on the left in your room." He said as Beast Boy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as Old Man Beast Boy made a relishing smile.

"Come on," Old Man Beast Boy said gesturing at the caldron "There is enough stew for everyone. We have a busy day today. Because tonight we are going to pay a visit to Robin's daughter in Salt Lake City, but first I have to 'introduce myself' to the rest of the Red Hood Gang in the next town over." Old Man Beast Boy said with a smile. "And its a good thing that they wear red, because if someone one wants to sell their clothes, the blood won't show."


	13. The Bar

The bar was filled with people, all of them members of the Red Hood gang. The bar looked to be straight out of a Western movie, everything was made out of wood, with a giant counter with shelves of glass bottles, a large dinning/drinking area, chairs that are guaranteed to give you splinters, an old bartender and a giant balcony that looked down upon the area.

Almost every table was filled with people of all shapes and sizes sat drinking bitter alcohol or eating over cooked food and all of them were talking and laughing so loud that it clogged up your very thoughts. At the main counter sat 6 people.

The first one was a large man called Henry that looked to be from an advertisement from the 1950's selling men's clothes. He was wearing a large cowboy hat that covered most of his face, a large leather coat that had too many pockets, thick blue jeans and boots that was as thick as cardboard. He wore a large belt that had too many guns on them and he was whirling a lasso around as if he was renacting a scene from a cowboy movie.

The second was a short woman called Caroline that looked to be from any funk music album. She was wearing what looked to be Abraham Lincolns hat, a suit that people wear to their graduation party, and glasses that were at least 10 times too big for her face. All the clothes that she wore looked to have been in a vat of glitter for several hours that it shone colours that didn't exist all around the bar. She also was jugging what appeared to be grenades.

The third was a short man called Winston that looked to be an impersonator for any pop musician. He had hair that was oozing with hair gel, had a crown made out of plants and flowers, wore glasses that seemed to have belonged to Elton John, wore a suit that looked to have belonged to Elvis and wore eccentric glass shoes that were too big for him. He was playing with a giant spear as if was some sort of toy.

The fourth was a little boy called Thomas that looked to be any DJ in a high school party. He was wearing a giant pair of headphones that was connected to a smart phone which was blasting some techno music. He was wearing a worn out blue backwards baseball cap, a faded black T – shirt, thin shorts that looked to be made of metal and shoes that seemed to be made out of light. He was playing with a large bow as if it was a harp while shaking a quiver that seemed to have an infinite number of arrows.

The fifth was little girl called Fiona that looked to have come straight out of the 18th century. She was wearing what looked to be a wig that belonged to Mozart, a fancy yellow suit that was well tailored for her, had a large pair of opera glasses that looked extremely complicated and shoes that were too small for her feet. She was fiddling with a dagger as if it was her baton.

Finally, there was a large woman called Hannah that wouldn't look out of place in a rock concert. She had her Rapunzel like hair dyed in all the colours known to man. She was wearing nothing but black leather, wore what appeared to be black make up and she was wearing sunglasses that looked to belong to the devil himself. She was playing with a giant samurai sword as if it was some kind of guitar.

"So!" Hannah bellowed, sounding like any stereotypical rebellious teenager to her 5 friends as she produced a glass of what looked to be liquid tar out of thin air "How was business today? Any captured Metas? I've like to hear your weekly reports"

"Only got 1 meta." Thomas said sounding like a robot as he took a gulp from a giant cup of coffee. "Shame though, but the area that I got to cover is small so, I wasn't expecting much."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Hannah said sounding like an annoyed older sister "I get it, you got the smallest territory. Fine. So, what about you Fi?" She said gesturing at Fiona

"I only got 2 metas" Fiona said sounding like a queen from the 1700's as she sipped from a thimble sized cup of tea "not much, but it's something"

"Very nice!" Hannah said sounding like any teacher talking to a student who did something cute "Very nice, I consider that an accomplishment! You can put a gold star next to that! Winston?"

"7 metas this week!" Winston said arrogantly as he raised a glass bottle that had a clear fluid in it that didn't look like water "Had to take down a few dozen people who got in the way. But still 7! A record!"

"Well done!" Hannah said cheerfully clapping her hands in an exaggerated way "7 metas! That beats your record from last week and the week before that! I congratulate you Winston! Well done! What about you Caroline?"

"I've only got 5 metas." Caroline said gleefully as she poured a colourful liquid down her throat "Had to take down a few people, but it gets the job done."

"Impressive." Hannah said a small smile forming on her face "Not bad C, not bad at all. And you Henry?"

"I got 6 metas." Henry said who was gargling at a liquid that looked to be almost expired milk. "Not quite by best record but I like it all the same. Shame about that town though. I had to eliminate the entire town to get 3 of them"

"Well, well, well!" Hannah said clapping her hands together that sounded like a gunshot "Very good! Very good!" her smile was now increasing with each word she said as she looked at each one of them in a mocking way.

"How many have you got?" Fiona asked, dreading the answer.

"HA!" Hannah said laughing loudly sounding like a fog – horn "I got! 23 metas!" She yelled as she threw her hands in the air making strange hand gestures "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's more than all of yours put together!"

"Wow. Well done." Thomas said calmly as he looked up and down Hannah as if she was something, he found on a toilet bowl. "It's not like you have the largest territory to cover you know."

Hannah looked as if she was about to fire a retort when the doors of the bar burst open and a man in rags wearing a giant cowboy hat walked in. Hannah looked at this man in curiosity. As if trying to make him out.

"You are in Red Hood hours!" Hannah said pointing her sword at this man "So, unless if you want to do some business with us, need some help with Red Hood matters. If not, get the hell out! Or else we will make you get out!" Hannah said as on cue all the people in the bar pointed their weapons at the man.

The man seemed to pause taking his time to gather his thoughts then he looked up at Hannah under from his hat "Yes. I do want some help." He said calmly.

"And how may we help you!?" Winston demanded

"Well, actually, you may die." The man said as he immediately turned into a giant sabre – tooth tiger and disembowelled the man with pistols on his left. The moment all the man's organs hit the floor everything happened at once.

All the Red Hoods began to fire upon the sabre – tooth tiger, at first it seemed to be stunned by all the weaponry fire but then it let out a beast – like roar as it shifted into a wolf and charged towards the crowd of Red Hoods. It pounced up and slashed it's claws violently in the air as it sent a man's head flying through the air like a champagne cork. Its face forever frozen in that of horror.

Old Man Beast Boy landed on the sharp wooden floor back to his normal form to see that he is surrounded by many Red Hoods, all of them aiming their weapons at him. He made a small smile as he heard a voice cry "FIRE!".

There was a deafening sound as several weapons were all fired at Old Man Beast Boy, at first it looked like that he was about to fall over, but he took all the damage in as if he was some kind of super sponge. He let out a beast – like roar as suddenly a giant scorpion's tail erupted out of his backside. He swing it around him stabbing many of the red hoods until they were turned into a kebab by his giant scorpion sting, their skin swelling up like a balloon about to burst.

He saw a giant beachball like man charge at him like a bull. Old Man Beast Boy smiled at this as he stood his ground. Then suddenly, Old Man Beast Boy vanished as if he was never there.

Everyone paused, taken aback as if unable to comprehend what they just saw. Nothing but a fly can be heard in the sudden silence that came.

Then there was a loud burst like a dam exploding as blood and guts went flying everywhere as a giant beast burst out of the beachball man's chest.

A thin woman launched herself at the Beast's back, attempting to cut his throat open, but the Beast roared as he grabbed her and reduced her into a bloody pulp in his hand. She now looked as if she had been through a car compactor.

There was a loud banging sound as Harry began to fire his guns at the Beast. But the Beast just smiled as it began to charge at Harry, and slashing his claws at him until Harry looked as if he had been through a shredder.

Winston roared as he charged at the Beast brandishing his spear, but the Beast just backhanded him, sending him flying through the air like a rag doll, landing right on target on a broken chair, effectively impaling him on the spot.

A whole crowd of people began to surround Old Man Beast Boy all of them armed to the teeth and ready, but there was a flash of green fire, then an explosion, an eruption of fire as the green phoenix screeched out its displeasure vaporizing almost everybody in the bar.

The moment the phoenix's screech ended, Old Man Beast Boy crashed down to the floor surrounded by the ashes of the dead read hoods. He looked up. There were now only 4 people left in the bar. The bartender and two kids, one a girl from the 1700's, the other a DJ boy, cowering in the corner, and Hannah.

"YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS!" Hannah screamed "PREPARE TO DIE!!!!!" she charged at Old Man Beast Boy screaming bloody murder as she wielded her sword towards him.

Old Man Beast Boy just had time to comprehend what he was seeing when Hannah impaled him right in the solar plexus.

Hannah panted as she looked at Old Man Beast Boy's face, clutching the hilt of the sword as if it was fused with her skin, triumph was proudly displayed on her face.

Old Man Beast Boy looked down at the sword that was impaled through his chest, then looked at Hannah, then looked back at the sword impaled through his chest, then back at Hannah.

He slowly raised his hands and closed around Hannah's hands that was still clutching the sword. For a moment, Hannah though that he was about to pull the sword out, so she pushed it forward with all her might. But Old Man Beast Boy wasn't pulling the sword out. Rather he pulled the sword up so violently that the sword went all the way up and Hannah found herself holding her sword all the way up as if the sword was some kind of radio transmitter.

She looked at Old Man Beast Boy, expecting him to die from him slicing his skull in two. But Old Man Beast Boy looked as if nothing has happened to him at all. "Ow" Old Man Beast Boy said in a bored voice.

Then with one sudden movement, he thrusted the sword down so suddenly and so violently that it made Hannah's arms pop out and then she was sliced in half by her own sword.

Old Man Beast Boy looked around him, then at the Bartender and the two kids. Then producing a wad of cash out of thin air he tossed it at the bartender, who caught it, looking at the money as if he had never seen so much money in his life.

"The names Logan." Old Man Beast Boy said "Garfield Logan. But I prefer Old Man Beast Boy. Take the money and give yourself a better life. Look after the kids." He said as he made his way out of the bar as casually as if he had just went in there to use the lavatory.


	14. Never Again

Ashly's room wasn't grand, and she liked it that way. The room was most certainly big and wide, in fact a jumbo jet can fit cosily inside of it.

But if one were to compare what the room looked like before Ashly took over, they would see a ton of differences. For one thing there used to be a lot of decorations all over the walls, everything from a golden mirror, an infinite number of golden ornaments, golden wallpaper to a display case showing the ruined suit of Reverse Flash. Now all of these ornaments had been removed so that the room was almost completely bare.

The furniture which included a Queen-sized bed, a desk the size of a small boat and a throne like chair had remained.

Ashly looked like if Guy Gardener was a girl. She had long rust coloured hair, brown eyes and a perfect looking body structure. Had she been born at a better time she would have appeared in the front page of every beauty and adult magazine in the world. She had scars all over her body and she was examining them as if they were extracts from her favourite books. She was wearing what looked to be Robin styled PJ's and a large black eye mask that was around her neck.

Ashly was sitting on her bed looking down at a 2 photographs in a picture frame that has seen better days. The first photo showed a middle – aged man who was approaching his 60's and a small baby girl who was smiling goofily in the picture. The second photo showed a little girl who was embracing another girl who could have been her twin sister who had blonde hair instead of rust coloured hair. Ashly looked down at the photo as if she was a scientist looking at an interesting lab specimen. The man of course, was Nightwing, and the baby was herself. She looked down at the photograph and closed her eyes.

* * *

_15 years ago…_

_Lantern Falls was a busy as ever. The monks were chanting, the shopkeepers were bellowing, the crowds were bustling and so on. Nightwing wasn't sure what to make of it, sure it did amuse him too see so many people in 'cosplay' which made it easy for him to go around unnoticed in full costume, and the crowds had some kind of magnetic pull to him that he found impossible to describe. He didn't have the heart to tell anyone that it was naïve to believe that any of the superheroes would come back, and that the world was too broken to be fixed._

_"Rings are 12% off!" A voice bellowed_

_"Costumes! Buy three get one free!" another screamed_

_"Get your weapons here! At a cheap, cheap price" another yelled_

_He was walking around the market area clutching a giant bag of groceries to his chest as if it contained all the treasure in the world. He looked around the area around him, his senses overwhelmed. He can see almost every colour in the world, he can smell all sort of smells from expensive perfume to raw sewage, he can hear all sorts of sounds from people practically yelling into his ear to the squeaks of a mouse. His skin felt dry as if it was turning into stone and the air tasted like a cocktail of everything known to man._

_"Superhero Bible's only $1!" A voice boomed_

_"Get newspaper articles on the golden age!" another voice cried_

_"May I interest you in action figures sir?"_

_This voice belonged to a young woman who practically kamikazed himself into Nightwing. Nightwing was so thrown off that he almost lost his balance and almost fell to the floor._

_"Sorry!" The young woman said who was holding a crate like box and looking at Nightwing apologetically, as Nightwing steadied himself "May I help you?"_

_"No thank you…" Nightwing said as he looked at the young woman…and froze. The woman was dressed up as Starfire. But not in the cheap costume wear that was common in Lantern Falls, no. She was dressed up as Starfire so convincingly and so accurately that for a moment Nightwing thought that she had came back from the dead. Then he shook himself out of that thought and went on his way._

_He closed his eyes trying not to think about the past. He remembered the battle of Gotham. He remembered how Batman and Tim Drake died. He remembered how he barely survived an attack from Poison Ivy and the Joker…and then he remembered what he saw when he went into Titans Tower to see all his friends…and Starfire…dead._

_Nightwing closed his eyes and mumbled "She is dead Nightwing…dead…its not your fault…its not Beast Boys fault…don't blame yourself Nightwing…You have a family now…try to balance being a trader, a superhero and a father Nightwing, like Bruce…'_

_He found himself walking towards the garage where he saw two girls playing in the small wooden playground that was made in front of the garage. The first girl was Ashly, so young and innocent, the other girl could have been her twin sister except she had blond hair._

_"Dad!" Ashly cried as she bolted out from a wooden monkey bars to throw her arms around her father's legs_

_"Hi my little honey bun! Hi there Poppy!" Nightwing said cheerfully looking down at his daughter who was smiling at him gleefully. He scooped his daughter up and swinging her up to his shoulders_

_"How are you doing today dad?" Ashly said wrapping her legs around her father's armpits_

_"I'm fine Pumpkin!" Nightwing said as he carried Ashly to the inside of the garage, "I just need to give your mother the ingredients for dinner and then we can play"_

_"Can you tell us one of your stories Mr. Nightwing!" Poppy said gleefully_

_"Yeah!" Ashly said with a wide smile "Can you tell us one?"_

_Nightwing made a small smile as he looked at the two kids "Alright, I will, after dinner, okay?"_

_"Yes Dad"_

_"Yes Mr Nightwing."_

_The two girls then went back to playing with one another as Nightwing went into his home, dumping the bag of groceries in the kitchen._

_"Hi Dick."_

_Nightwing turned to see his wife, Wendy. She is large tall woman with hair so short that she was practically bald, with bright blue eyes, and a resting serious face. She was wearing a large, oversized orange and yellow uniform that had every known stain scattered all over it._

_"Hi Wendy." Nightwing said giving her a kiss "How was your day?"_

_"Not bad. Not many customers today, Ashly has been playing with Poppy most of the day. Nothing much to share."_

_Nightwing turned to look out of the window to see his daughter running around in circles chasing her best friend while laughing her face off. "Yeah, I can see that they are having a lot of fun." He said as the girls began to form what looked to be a large beach ball as they both tackled each other._

_A large man in a black suit seemed to be watching the two girls play, he approached them, and at first Night wing though that he was about to capture them, but then relaxed when he saw the man produce a map and he heard the man ask the girls for directions._

_"You should really calm down at times." Wendy said looking at her husband with an odd look_

_"Yeah. I know…" Nightwing said turning away from the mirror._

_"Come on." Wendy said, "Dinner aint goanna cook itself"_

* * *

_After a small dinner, Ashly, Poppy and Nightwing were sitting in the backyard looking up at the night sky that was a light show of stars and galaxies. The air was completely still and humid, all noise seemed to have stopped as if it was disrespectful._

_"So dad." Ashly said, "Why don't you tell me and Poppy the story about when you became Robin?"_

_"Yeah Mr. Nightwing!" Poppy said too enthusiastically "Tell us!"_

_Nightwing made a small smile as he lifted his daughter up onto his lap. "Okay Pumpkin…I'll tell you. When I was a little boy, a few years older than you, I was in the circus. My parents were acrobats, The Flying Grayson's, and I took part in it. It was a wonderful time. One day, a gangster had cut the ropes to my parent's swing rope and they…they…." Nightwing paused for a moment as the two girls realised what the old man was saying._

_Nightwing sighed as he pulled himself together "well…I became an orphan that day, and I was adopted by a rich man called Bruce Wayne, who is as you know, Batman. I then trained under him, and I became his sidekick, Robin."_

_"Wow!" Poppy said with a jubilant smile, but Ashly interrupted "What happened to the man who killed your parents?"_

_Nightwing made a face "You mean Tony Zucco?" he said grimly "Well…a few years after becoming Robin and a year before I formed the Titans…Batman and I got involved in a mafia that was led by Tony…I admit that I did want to hurt him...I also admit that I wanted to kill him…but after a talk with Batman…I spared his life…"_

_"Huh?" Ashly and Poppy said in confusion, "But…he…he did something bad to you. Why didn't you avenge your parent's death?"_

_Nightwing made a small smile looking down at the two girls "Because that would make you just as bad as the killer himself. If you kill a killer, the number of killers remain the same."_

_"Woah…I never though of it that way…" Ashly said looking at Poppy with a wide smile_

_"Yeah!" Poppy said jubilantly "I do! Come on Ashly lets play!"_

_And the two girls ran off into the night laughing as they ran._

* * *

Ashly opened her eyes. She knew what happened next. She didn't want to remember the morning she woke up to see a crowd forming around Poppy's home. She didn't want to remember seeing her best friend's dead body, a bloody pulp in her room. She didn't want to remember seeing the man in the suit running away from the scene, the very same man who asked for directions to Poppy's home. She didn't want to remember her parent's argument. She didn't want to remember seeing her father leaving her. She didn't want to remember all her friend's dead.

She looked down at the photos and hugged them, a tear forming in her eye. "Never again." She said trembling as if her bones had been turned into jelly.

"Never again shall people's lives be lost to crime." She said under her breath "Never again shall families be divided. Never again shall friends be lost. Never again. Never again. Poppy's dead. Dad is no longer dad. No more death. No more crime. No more suffering. Never again."


	15. Shopping

The moment Old Man Beast Boy left the bar he found himself face to face with Robin who was looking at him disapprovingly. The rest of the Titans had been oddly quiet for most of breakfast, except for Cyborg complaining about the food and Starfire asking too many questions on what Old Man Beast Boy's travel plan is, but all he had planned out so far is the town the Red Hoods reside in and Salt Lake City.

Behind Robin was Starfire who looked extremely confused, a half – livid looking Cyborg who was clutching Vic the IV so close to his chest that it looked as if it was fusing with his body, Raven who looked as if she had lost the ability to speak, Beast Boy who looked as if he had been slapped in the face and an extremely guilty looking Phoenix.

"Older Beast Boy." Robin said a bit too sternly at Old Man Beast Boy "Last night, Phoenix had informed me that you are intending to kill my daughter, who now 'rules over' most of the Inner Western United States. Is this correct!?"

Old Man Beast Boy blinked rapidly. Not because that Phoenix had told his younger teammates, but due because of the bluntness of Robin's statement. He was expecting Robin to attack him, to defend the life of his daughter, to yell at him. Sure, the rest of the younger Titans were acting in a way that he half expected them to react, but the one he thought would have the biggest reaction would be Robin. He wasn't expecting this.

"Yes." Old Man Beast Boy said gruffly as he walked out of the porch of the Bar and into the street of the small town that was indecisive on whether if it wanted to be in a Western movie or a Sci – Fi movie. "I don't deny it. I am going to kill her."

"And do you see anything that is wrong with that!?" Cyborg cried throwing his arms up in the air

"No" Old Man Beast Boy said gruffly "No I do not."

"But Friend Old Man Beast Boy!" Starfire said flying up in front of Old Man Beast Boy "Why do you want to hurt someone you barely even know? Maybe she is a good leader?"

Old Man Beast Boy froze as if Starfire's words had turned him into stone. He paused, then threw his head back in a roar of laughter "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh yes, hurt someone I barely even know? In the brief time that I met her, she attempted to kill the Penguin, got broken out of jail by an older Robin, I mean Nightwing, who, may I add, was old and blind. She then relived the Penguin of his head, then attempted to kill Old Nightwing who had just seconds ago saved her life! Tell me, what do you think she is like in that encounter alone?"

The Titans froze as if they had no idea how to respond to this statement. Old Man Beast Boy smirked at this as he continued "If you want to have an idea on what Ashly is like…" Old Man Beast Boy said in an overly calm voice "…judging by the rumours that I have heard…Lets stick around in this town and watch the people okay?"

Robin slowly got out of his senses as he nodded as if his bones were made of bombs. "Alright then…if you insist…I do agree that we need proper attire...But what is the rumour?"

But the last 5 words that Robin said fell on deaf ears as Old Man Beast Boy interrupted him

"Right then!" Old Man Beast Boy said, giving off a giant clap as he slowly scanned the street, his eyes resting on a large wooden shop "I think that we should get some gear over there. We have a bit of a journey in front of us, and I don't think that your uniforms would last very long."

"Okay then" Starfire said a bit too enthusiastically "I would love too see what shops are like in this future!"

"I wouldn't keep your hopes up Star" Phoenix mumbled

* * *

**30 minutes later…**

Robin had insisted on choosing the clothes for the rest of the Titans however he could have done better than attempt to boil the ocean with candles. Starfire had insisted on a dress that made her look as if she was attending a dance party in the 1920's, Cyborg demanded that he wear what looked to be a sailing ships sail and Beast Boy wanted to have what looked to be a cowboy Halloween costume, it was only after Old Man Beast Boy insisted that they wear the proper attire that was common for desert wear that they fell in line and all agreed to wear the sort of clothes that made them look as if they were ancient Greeks or Egyptians.

Cyborg had wanted to get 'proper food', such as beef, bacon and pork. However, he was sadly disappointed to find that all the meat that the store sold could have been brown cardboard, and he reluctantly caved in to getting unlabelled canned and instant food that was guaranteed to destroy your insides if you add too much or too little ingredients.

It was only after they restocked on clothes and food when Old Man Beast Boy gave each of the Titans a small rucksack filled with the sort of things they would bring on a camping trip such as a sleeping bag, pots, pans and all that when he said that they were allowed to buy one or two things for their leisure when the 7 of them broke up to explore the store in it's complexity.

* * *

Raven was scanning a bookshelf in a maze of shelves that displayed a tiny, but humble collection of books. The books were either books that she had read before or one of those cheap glossy books that can be found in every airport around the world.

Even though her face didn't show it, her mind was going in many directions at once. Her mind still hadn't recovered from the whiplash that happened the day before when she and the rest of the Titans were bombarded with so much information about the future that she, hell all her friends still needed time to recover from it. Her mind was playing games with her, like a stranger's voice that seemed to be commentating on everything that she did, and whenever she tries to silence this voice it gets replaced with a bombardment of mental images like a movie on fast forward either showing one of two things. An apocalyptic future that may or may not involve Trigon; or her and Beast Boy 'together'.

"Friend Raven?" A voice near Raven spoke.

Raven turned to see Starfire face to face with her, her arms filled with what can be described as a mountain of stationary "What book are you looking for?"

"I…I don't know." Raven said scowling at the bookshelf as if trying to make up her mind on a book

"I see." Starfire said sadly as she sat next to Raven, her face a jumbled mess of emotion. "I... I mean… we have… been through a lot in the past few hours…"

"Yeah…" Raven said "I know…"

"I mean…everyone…all of our friends…dead or…or evil…and…and…I just…I just can't handle this!" Starfire cried as she waved her arms in the air as if she was fake drowning. "And…and I don't…we…I…I don't know what we are supposed to do!"

"You mean trying to stop this future…" Raven said gripping a leather book of a classic that she could recite by heart.

"Yes!" Starfire practically hollered "I mean…how are we going to stop this!? And…how are we going to get back?"

"I know…I think Older Beast Boy and Phoenix and the rest of our friends are thinking the same thing Starfire." Raven said

Starfire seemed to calm down as she looked up at Raven, her eyes flooding with tears "Yes Friend Raven. I know…Its just so much…" she took deep breaths and then her sad face was replaced with a small smile "So…when are you going to tell him?"

"Tell him what?" Raven said raising an eyebrow at Starfire's sudden shift in tone, dreading the answer.

"You know…" Starfire said with a wide smile "…You and Friend Beast Boy…"

Raven stiffened at this, her face turning a bright shade of pink. She knew it was futile to deny it, with all their interactions in the past few years, along with the confession in that slumber party that Starfire threw a few months prior and the elephant in the room, Phoenix which burned a very ugly image into her mind.

Raven shook herself as she tried to forget the image as she turned back to Starfire saying the first thing that came to mind "I…I don't know yet…"

"Well…you know that it will happen sooner or later!" Starfire said scooping up the pile of stationary. "If you don't reveal it, I will."

Raven froze, unable to think as her friend walked away, vanishing into the maze of shelves.

* * *

The electronic section was small, but interesting enough for Beast Boy to examine all the futuristic looking gadgets that were falling apart.

Beast Boy was scanning the shelves when something caught his eye. At first, he thought that it was a small boom box from a time where they used tapes and all that, but then he realised that this boom box was more complicated than he thought. It had too many buttons, too many nobs and too many things that he had forgotten the name to. He turned it over to see a small row of giant buttons, each with a small picture on it. One showed what looked to be the face of a famous composer from the 1800's, another showed what looked to be hearts, another showed what looked to be a bar chart, another showed what looked to be a cowboy hat, and another showed what looked to be skull and electric guitars as cross bones.

Beast Boy was about to press the skull Phoenix approached him.

"Hi." He said to Beast Boy

"Oh…" Beast Boy said looking up and down his future son "err…hi"

"Seen anything that you like?" Phoenix said as he picked up what looked to be a fusion between a microwave and a camera.

"Well, I am interested in this thing." He said looking at the radio

"I see…" Phoenix said now looking at the radio the same way an art dealer would look at a painting.

"What exactly are your powers?" Beast Boy blurted out. Beast Boy slapped his hand to his mouth the moment he realized that he had spoken. He didn't know why he said it, but something inside of him curiosity got the better of him.

Phoenix looked up at Beast Boy as if he had been expecting him to say this and he gave a small smile "Well. I have your powers, and Mom's powers. A combination of the two if you will."

"Well…yes." Beast Boy said trailing with each word that he said unsure on each word that her said "But…err…what does that mean?"

Phoenix cocked his head as he looked at his younger father in confusion "Well…as you know I can shapeshift like you…and I can do magic like mom…its just…well…recently…well okay 20 or so years ago… when my powers were…um…err…" Phoenix seemed to pause at this as he stroked a mini TV as if it was a pet "…well how should I say this? Augmented?"

Beast Boy paused as if trying to solve a difficult puzzle, as if Phoenix was speaking about something bad that happened to him that he wasn't comfortable talking about.

"What do you mean by that?" Beast Boy asked looking at Phoenix as if trying to work him out.

Phoenix seemed to pause, as if he had been turned into stone.

"Hello? Phoenix?" Beast Boy said waving his hand in front of Phoenix's face "What do you mean by 'augmented'?"

But Phoenix seemed to have lost the ability to speak or hear, as Beast Boy rapidly waved his hand in front of Phoenix "Is it Raven? Constantine? Radiation? An accident? Slade? Tri…" But Beast Boy didn't even have the time to finish his sentence when Phoenix suddenly sprung to life that he turned his head and threw his face towards Beast Boy's face so close that they were nose to nose to each other.

"Do. Not. Say. His. Name!" He rasped. His face filled with rage, his eyes turning a fiery shade of red as he shoved Beast Boy away as he vanished into the maze of shelves.

Beast Boy blinked rapidly, unsure on what to make of what had just happened. He was just about to say the name of Raven's father, when Phoenix acted extremely strangely.

That was when Beast Boy realised that something bad had happened to Phoenix, and he was determined to find out what it was. Little did he know, little did anyone know, the answer would bring about their doom.


	16. The Punishment Comes Before The Crime

It took Starfire almost 20 minutes to find Robin who was walking around aimlessly around the shop as if looking for nothing in particular. His face in utter dismay.

"Friend Robin?" Starfire said in concern at her boyfriend

"Oh…hey Star" Robin said freezing at a shelf that was overflowing with axes "I've just been looking around this shop…looking for things we need…"

"Friend Robin…" Starfire said calmly approaching Robin to the point that they were centimetres from each other "I can tell that there is something bothering you…you have been strange this morning and I want to know if there is something that I can do."

Robin sighed. He knew it wouldn't help to lie to Starfire, and he knew that she was telling the truth. His mind was going in so many directions that he was surprised that his brain hadn't fried itself, and he also knew that the rest of his friends, Cyborg and Beast Boy in particular must be going through the same thing, he just wasn't sure if he wanted to admit that to them yet. Starfire on the other hand, he was slightly more comfortable opening up to and one of his main concerns has to do with her.

"Starfire…" Robin said as if he wasn't sure if he was using the right words "I…I don't know how to respond to the fact that…that I…I have a daughter…"

"What do you mean Friend Robin?" Starfire said

"I mean…that…that…I thought that…that for a moment…that the mother would be you…" Robin said mournfully looking up at Starfire "…but now that your dead here…I…just…I don't know how this will affect our relationship…"

Starfire's eyes filled with tears as she threw Robin a rib crushing, flying hug "Don't think like that Friend Robin!" She said "We will always be together…and…you shouldn't be upset at the fact that I'm dead here…If I were to be…I would want you to be happy, and whether or not if you were happy with…with whoever you were with in this future…I would hope that you were happy with her" Starfire said, now placing her nose in front of Robin's "…anyway, we are here to stop this future from happening! So that way…maybe…just maybe we might be together when we fix this future…"

Robin nodded, his mind still calming down from all its chaotic thoughts. He smiled as he and Starfire kissed. Their minds totally blank. They didn't worry about where they were, all their problems now and in the future. All they knew was that they had each other, and that was all that mattered.

The costume display area was one of the largest parts of the shop selling costumes of every known superhero as if they expected them all to arrive naked in the store for no particular reason. These weren't the cheap costumes that were homemade on a tight budget. These were well tailored ones that looked almost as if they had stolen the costume from the corpse of the superhero in question.

Old Man Beast Boy didn't know why he chose this place out of all places, but some invisible force inside of him told him that this is the place he had to go to. He walked around the costume area passing multiple suits of Superman, Batman, The Flash, etc. with several of these costumes put on display on an army of mannequins. Old Man Beast Boy had just passed a costume of what looked to be Robin when he stopped as if the invisible force had told him that he had arrived at his destination.

The incident happened so fast, so suddenly that it was over as soon as it began. Robin noticed a middle-aged in rags man walk up to a large wooden shelf as if walking on a minefield. He looked to his left. Then he looked to his right. Then he raised up an arm to snatch something on the shelf so fast that his hand was blur.

Robin only had the time to think 'Shoplifter' when there was a loud **CRACK!**

The man froze as if he had been turned into stone. Then the man collapsed down onto the floor. Dead. A giant hole in his head was regurgitating blood and mashed up brain bits all over the floor. Robin stared in horror at this unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Starfire screamed.

Then a voice rang out. A robotic, sinister voice boomed out in the air as if God himself was delivering a message to everyone in the store. "Let this be a warning to you!" the voice boomed "The punishment will come before the crime! We can't afford any more crime! No matter how big or small, crime will not be tolerated here by the Realm of the Robin! Soon the Realm of the Robin shall be a peaceful place! The Punishment comes before the crime!"

Robin froze unable to process what he had just heard. _'The Punishment coming before the crime?'_ now that was crazy. Putting aside how someone can possibly predict what someone is about to do, you can't punish someone who is about to do something bad. They might change their minds and not do that thing, but this system…his daughter's system is just plain evil. True if that person was about to rape or murder, then maybe that can be excused under most circumstances. But killing a common shop lifter? Now that is just too far.

"Well. Looks like the rumours are true." A gruff voice behind Robin said.

Robin whipped around to see Old Man Beast boy standing over him. His face utterly grim. "Looks like she is just as bad as people say. Killing criminals like that, I find it unbelievable."

Robin stared at the dead body, then back at Old Man Beast Boy, then back at the dead body, then back at Old Man Beast Boy.

His mind was in utter chaos. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He thought of what Old Man Beast Boy did. Killing criminals without mercy. Then he looked down at the dead body and he knew that Ashly. His daughter isn't much better. Killing criminals without mercy. The only difference is that one kills the guilty, the other kills the yet – to – be – guilty. None of those sides are pleasant. Both yield same results, no more criminals. However, Robin didn't like it.

Yet what did he expect from a world like this. There is no good and evil anymore. No more black and white arguments. That thing died the day the superheroes died. Now there was just grey. Robin didn't like either side, and yet he knew that he only had one option.

"Salt Lake City." Robin said under his breath.

"Yes." Old Man Beast Boy said "And I managed to get us a ride there. Tonight, we shall be in Salt Lake City and I will show that girl that she needs to correct her timing."

Robin nodded more interested in looking at the shelves of axes than looking at Old Man Beast Boy. His mind going in multiple directions. Old Man Beast Boy wants to kill his daughter and he wasn't going to let that happen. He wasn't going to let that happen at all.


	17. Ra's Al Ghul

**Somewhere in Salt Lake City, 12:00**

The dining room was an extremely eccentric indeed. For one thing it was very narrow to the point that one can stand in the middle of the room, stretch out their arms and can touch the walls without much effort.

The walls were decorated with wallpapers that constantly changed as if it couldn't make up its mind on what to be. One moment it was the wallpaper from the smallest bathroom in an 17th century European manor, the next it displayed a highly detailed map of the universe, and the next it reverted into the wallpaper design that is in the room of the least favourite child in a rich family and the next it displayed what appeared to transcripts of history and science text books that document historical event ranging from the big bang to the fall of the superheroes.

The air in the room changed constantly, one moment it was so cold that Ashly felt her blood turn to ice and her lungs get stabbed by icicles, the next moment it became so hot that wearing clothes felt like pure torture and she was sweating so heavily that Ashly was surprised that it didn't flood the room.

The table itself is extremely long, but narrow. It looked to be something from a 'Lord of the rings' novel. It is wooden, carved out with the figures of many animals from aardvarks to alligators, bison to beasts, cougars to cheetahs, doves to dragons, elephants to eagles, ferrets to foxes, giraffes to geese, horses to hydras, impalas to iguanas, jackals to jaguars, kangaroos to kappas, lemurs to llamas, mongoose to minxes, nighthawks to naguals, otters to orangutans, pandas to phoenixes, qails to quaggas, ravens to robins, seals to snakes, thunderbirds to tigers, uakaris to unaus, vultures to vampire bats, wales to wolves, xolmies to xecotcovaches, yetis to yaks, zebras to zorillas.

Ashly didn't really like the decorations but she decided to keep it to spare herself the trouble. She sat on her throne like chair looking down the long table at the mountain of food displayed in front of her. There was apple pie and avocado toast, brown rice and bacon, cabbage soup and curry, duck and donuts, egg tarts and elderberries, French fries and fish, goose and gingerbread, hamburgers and hotdogs, ice cream and Idaho potatoes, jelly and jalapeno curry, kimchi and kudzus, lental soup and lobster, mangos and macaroons, nuggets and noodles, oranges and octopus, pasta and pizza, quiche and quesadilla, rice and radish, salad and sausages, tacos and tofu, umeboshi and udon, vegetables and veal, watermelon and watercress, Xavier soup and xigua, yogurt and yams, zucchinis and zima.

Ra's Al Ghul sat on the other side of the table drinking from a small bowl of soup. Nothing much of him had changed if you were to compare him to what he was like 40 years ago, except for the fact that he looked more arrogant as if the death of all his enemies had just happened yesterday instead of almost half a century.

Ashly looked down the table scowling at him. He had barley spoken to her save for the usual greetings. Ashly looked up at Ra's Al Ghul as if expecting him to break the silence. Instead Ra's Al Ghul seemed more interested in looking at his cabbage soup than anything else and this annoyed Ashly, but she knew better than to speak out against him. She had heard what had happened to Calendar Man and Hush when they had displeased him and Clock King had barely made it out alive.

"The soup is nice it has an almost perfect use of herbs and spices." Ra's Al Ghul said deliberately slurping on the soup for effect "however it is a little bit too salty, and it doesn't have enough vegetables in it." He raised a bathtub sized coffee mug and took a long sip "…there is nothing better than an afternoon coffee do you think? I send my compliments to your barista."

"Yes. I agree." Ashly said looking down at her bathtub sized coffee mug.

"…I agree to your terms about the use of my Lazarus pit and all that…" Ra's Al Ghul began, examining Ashly as if expecting to see some kind of flaw on her. "…and I have heard about the latest developments, namely the siting near the Giants Hand."

"How…how did you know?" Ashly squeaked

"I have my sources." Ra's Al Ghul said smacking his lips, tasting the air like a fine wine "But I must say I am indeed fascinated by your 'new order' in the Realm of the Robin."

"What do you mean?" Ashly said about to swallow a chili dog whole.

"Well." Ra's Al Ghul said looking up and down Ashly "You can't use a lot of telepaths to enforce your new world order without someone hearing about it."

Ashly paused staring at her overflowing plate as if it was some kind of art piece that intrested her. She didn't know what to think. Sure she should have known that Ra's Al Ghul of all people would know about her secret but she was so certain that the only people who knew about this was herself, a few hand selected people and the telepaths themselves that it almost took her aback to hear someone casually mention her secret in front of her as if it was as trivial as the next weeks weather.

"Yes…" Ashly said blindly choosing her words "That's correct. I…well. How did you…I…I mean…what do you think of it? I mean…uh…yeah."

Ra's Al Ghul cocked his head "Whatever happens in other regions is no concern of mine, we already learnt that lesson from Brother Blood. But I will say this, I do admit that this is an impressive feat using telepaths to stop crime before it happens is a good feat. I considered it however I find there to be too many flaws in it. They can easily turn against you if you displease them."

Ashly waved a hand as if doing some strange dance move "I have already considered that." She said "I am reasonable and fair to my employees and I give them things like paid leave, paid vacation time and a reasonable salary."

"I see." Ra's Al Ghul said nodding his head as if his bones had turned into springs "And from what I heard the executions had resulted in a mass drop of crime rates all over the Realm of the Robin."

"Correct." Ashly said raising her cup "You can't make an omelette without breaking a couple of eggs"

Ra's Al Ghul smiled and did the same "Yes. Your right. And the Red Hood Gang?"

"Oh. They are mercenaries." Ashly said as if talking about something minor she did on a particular day "They work for people who has the fattest wallet, so they are of no particular use to me even if they were all dead or alive, however they are involved in Operation Macedonia…well it would make no difference to me if they take all the Meta's from my territory, but I need my Meta's to uphold my power."

Ra's Al Ghul nodded "I know. I just wanted to know your honest opinion." He stood up "Now we go out to address the people. I have read your transcript of your speech, and while it is a bit, well overdramatic at some places and a bit too blunt and direct in others, I am not going to stop you."

"As for tonight?" Ashly said

"Either way the fight goes." Ra's Al Ghul said "When I leave there will be two Grayson's in use of the Lazarus pit. But either way, Dick Grayson will never be the same after he fought you."


	18. The Ride to Salt Lake City

The moment Robin and the rest of the Titans left the store he was confronted with a very odd sight indeed. When Old Man Beast Boy said that he had 'Gotten them a ride' he assumed that he had gotten something like a camel or even a car of some sorts. But the moment he stepped out he saw Old Man Beast Boy standing in front of 'their ride' he saw that it was none of these things.

At first Robin thought that he was looking at a train caboose like something he would expect to see in a Mark Twain novel, or a book written in the mid to late 19th century, the next moment he thought that it was some sort of tank because it had a gigantic cannon on the top and the next moment he thought that it was some sort of submarine as it also had a periscope, giant metal doors and what looked to be a propeller and a rudder from a cruise ship. It was quite simply the strangest machine he had ever seen in his life.

"This is our ride to Salt Lake City." Old Man Beast Boy declared to the rest of the Titans, "Now come on in, I don't have all day!"

Robin looked at the rest of the team mates as if expecting them to say or do something, but the rest of the Titans might as well have been turned to stone as they stared up and down the strange vehicle that was right in front of him apparently lost in deep thought. Then Robin said the first thing that came into his mind.

"Do you know how to drive that thing?" Robin exclaimed

"No. But Phoenix can." Old Man Beast Boy said, gesturing at Phoenix who walked towards the veciale as if it was some 2nd hand car entering through a giant metal door. "Now are you going to get in or not?"

Robin paused thinking to himself, then realising that he had no other choice he nodded. As he followed Old Man Beast Boy into the vehicle.

If the outside of the vehicle was strange, then the inside of the vehicle was even stranger. The area that he was in looked to be the most expensive hotel room in the poorest country in the world. It had three large beds that belonged to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th least favourite child in a large rich family, a cheap television that can be found in any college dorm room, a large wooden desk that belonged to the a sidekick to a James Bond villain, a large collection of sofas that can be found in the waiting room of a small technology company and a small galley of paintings that can be found in the corridors of any hospital and airport around the world.

There were also three monolithic doors, the first leading into a tiny bathroom, the second leading to a humble kitchen with a tiny fridge, stove and microwave and the last one leading to what looked to be a fusion between a server room and the inside of a submarine with rows of computers and monitors as well as a long ladder which undoubtedly led up to the 'tank top' which Phoenix was now currently climbing.

"So…what now?" Cyborg said walking around the small living quarters as if expecting to see an instruction book telling him what to do next.

"Now." Old Man Beast Boy said, who was now feeding Vic the IV a giant bottle of milk "We wait until we arrive at Salt Lake City. It will only take us a couple of hours."

"And what exactly do you intend to do when you arrive in Salt Lake City?" Robin said a bit too bluntly "You have no idea where to go, no plan of attack! What exactly do you plan to do!?" But Old Man Beast Boy raised a hand for silence.

"Silence please." Old Man Beast Boy said through gritted teeth and Robin became silent as if struck down by a spell.

"I do have a plan of attack. Tonight, our friend Ashly plans to make a little speech with a special guest, but I don't know who. All I have to do is attack them when they are on stage. That's all I need to do."

"What about us?" Cyborg said who was sitting on one of the beds that was too small for him "What do we do?"

"You" Old Man Beast Boy said sounding like a military general "Stay here."

"What?" Cyborg cried in disbelief "But…we want to help!"

"This is our future!" Starfire yelled "We can help you Friend Old Man Beast Boy!"

"We are just as qualified as you!" Robin said

"I am telling you the answer is NO!" Old Man Beast Boy bellowed "You can get yourself killed! I can't afford that!"

"We fought Slade, Trigon, Brother Blood, Brain…" Raven said but Old Man Beast Boy interrupted her

"These guys. They don't play by those rules anymore! They. Will. Kill. You. On. The. SPOT!" Old Man Beast Boy said trying to control himself. "I can fight them because I have a healing factor! I can't die! If you were to enter the battle you will die! I have to kill Ashly! What she is "

There was a long pause. Nothing else can be heard. Robin looked from his team mates to Old Man Beast Boy to the view of the speeding dessert out of the window. The vehicle was in motion and he hadn't even felt it move.

Robin was lost in deep thought as he watched Old Man Beast Boy take a chug at his flask. He knew what he had done in the bar and he knew that he was going to do it again. Killing people. That is what Old Man Beast Boy is like now. A monster, a murder. No better than the people that he had killed. He can't even comprehend why he would do such a thing. Sure, times might have changed, and sure Old Man Beast Boy must have been through a lot, and yet…Robin felt like slapping himself. His mind going in many places at once. He understood why Old Man Beast Boy would do such a thing. Trauma and all that. He just can't imagine seeing Beast Boy, one of his best friends do such a thing, and he can't let so many people die, innocent or guilty die.

"This is another one of your missions isn't it?" Robin said under his breath "How many times have you done this? 10, 20? 30?"

Old Man Beast Boy sighed heavily as he looked down his flask as if it had mildly annoyed him but he was too polite to say anything about it. Robin continued speaking his mind as if replaying something he thinks he had experienced with Batman. "You know that nobody else has to die. Something tells me that you are not taking breaks. You can stop all this now. End it. Walk away and help us."

Old Man Beast Boy pretended that he had gone deaf as he continued to chug at his flask. Robin paused tasting the very air as if it was a fine wine. He looked at his teammates. Expecting them to say something. But all of them were looking at Robin as if expecting him to continue.

"Uh. You know. When I became Robin. When I was taken in under the wing by Batman. I admit that…that I wanted to kill the man who…who killed my parents. I wanted to hurt him…But when I had the chance…When me and Batman had an altercation with him…I admit that I wanted to get to him first…But Batman stopped me…he showed me that killing people is wrong…I never kill. Even when I look at the devil in the eye, never compromise, never break the code. There is always another way."

"What is it that you want Dick?" Old Man Beast Boy said in an overly restrained voice "Everything you do out there in the streets, Dick, it doesn't work. Not here. Not now. Then Yes. But now. No. Did you know that?" He threw his arm at the window to point at the distant ruin of a town "You have only seen a glimpse on what this place is like. Yes. I do agree that the whole 'no kill rule' is noble and all that. But now. Now. That thing is off the table. The world is either total anarchy where the ones with the guns rule over, or a dictatorship where everything that you do is monitored 24/7. What I do. It is out of necessity."

Robin sighed heavily as he knew where this was going to "Come on." He said aimlessly "You know that your not the only one right? Well boo hoo everyone has lost someone, its like a rule for all superheroes to have no parents."

Robin immediately regretted what he said when Old Man Beast Boy threw his flask at him, instantly knocking him down the moment it came in contact with his head. "Loss doesn't work the same way for everyone Dick!" Old Man Beast Boy growled "I was tricked into killing everyone that I care about!" he thrusted his arm up to point a finger at Starfire "She was the first person I ever killed!" He then pointed a finger at Raven "I thought that the love of my life had died on my hands for nearly 40 years!" he then pointed at Cyborg "I had to watch my best friend. The only one that I thought was alive go insane and become a supervillain!" Finally, he pointed at Robin "And you. You Dick Grayson. I watched you die less than a month ago. So, unless if you were tricked into killing everyone that you love. Shut. Up!"

Robin paused. Unable to take in what Old Man Beast Boy was saying. But there was still one thing left he needed to say otherwise he will explode. He looked at Old Man Beast Boy, gritting his teeth he said, "So why do you want to kill Ashly?"

Old Man Beast Boy looked up at Robin as if he had 2 heads. "I thought the answer would have been obvious." He said, "I don't agree with her methods, and I thought that you wouldn't agree with it either."

"You mean killing criminals?" Robin said, "Killing those who have committed crimes? If that is what happens to shoplifters, I hate to see what they do to murderers. And if a shoplifter got a bullet in the head, why hadn't you got a bullet all over your body?"

Old Man Beast Boy looked taken aback for a nanosecond then regained his composure "That. Is. What. We. Are. Going. To. Find. Out" He said in an overly restrained tone, adding too much emphasis to each letter he said "And anyway. Me and Ashly. Even though we never fully acquainted ourselves. Are. Not. The. Same"

"How?" Robin said, unsure on why he was saying it, but something inside of him told hm that the longer Old Man Beast Boy talked, the more things he would give away.

"For one, I don't kill shoplifters." Old Man Beast Boy said speaking more to himself than to Robin "I kill rapists, kidnappers and murders. And two. The punishment comes AFTER the crime! Not before! I only kill people who deserve to be killed! Whatever you may think of my methods, I am not a evil man!"

"Tell that to the orphans and widows that you left behind?" Robin mumbled more to himself, but Old Man Beast Boy heard it.

"Oh, what do you think I am!? Are we really continuing on with this thing!? Do you really think that I am some nutjob who goes around killing everyone who I think deserves it?"

Robin wanted to say yes, but his face must have given it away.

"I think that the people that need killing, need killing. As I said before, and will say again, the world has changed. People change. What I do may not be 'heroic' to you, but to others, I might as well be Superman. But okay. Okay. Okay. Let's say we try the old methods. We beat up the bullies with your fists. We throw 'em in some kind of jail that won't last for long, everybody calls us a hero, right? And then a month, a week, a day later, they're back on the streets doing the same goddamn thing! Here, now. In this future. I do the one thing that you can't. You hit 'em, and they get back up. I hit 'em, and they stay down. It's permanent1 I make sure that they don't make it out on the street again! And don't tell me the whole 'Killing a killer won't reduce the number of killers' line! That's why I don't stop at one! I go on and on! Never stopping!"

Old Man Beast Boy paused breaving heavily as if he had just ran a marathon. He paused and looked up at Robin "But you." He said now suddenly calm and sad "You on the other hand. I can't let you follow the same path I had. You know what I mean. I can't let you do the same thing I had. That's why I don't want you to fight. I don't want you to kill. I can't let you do that. I do want you to save our future. I want to stop this future. I do want you to stop it from ever happening, but I don't want you to be infected by this future."

Old Man Beast Boy took another swing from his flask and continued "I am sorry that I yelled at you. But I want you to understand. We can still save the world. I don't know how. I don't know. But we can still think of something."

He paused then said "I'll leave you alone to discuss things, while I talk to Phoenix. Your guess on how to get back is as good as mine. But I say this. Something is happening. I don't know what, I don't know how, and I don't know why. But something brought you here. We need to find out. But right now is a bad time. I can't sit and watch Ashly start her iron fist rule over the Realm of the Robin. She has to be stopped. And that is what I am going to do."

And with that, Old Man Beast Boy left, leaving the Titans alone with their thoughts on what they are supposed to do, and how they are going to get out of this mess.


	19. The First Plan

The Teen Titans didn't know how long they sat in the strange vehicles common room. All of them were lost in their deep thoughts on what Old Man Beast Boy had just said to them. Robin was the one most impacted by Old Man Beast Boy's lecture. He knew that Old Man Beast Boy had a point, that the rules no longer applied to this future no matter what, and this led to his mind sending him multiple messages at once so rapidly that he lost the ability to speak.

They had to find a way back, but how? He racked his mind to think of something, but his mind yielded no results. He then directed his mind to think of something else, which made him think of their current situation. He wanted to help his teammates be safe and survive this apocalyptic future. Yet it was against his nature to sit back and watch other people do things for him. However, the person who is supposedly 'helping them' does horrific things to other people even if they deserved to or not, which made him feel deeply uncomfortable. Then there was the factor of how this future would impact his friends, namely Beast Boy and Cyborg. He had no idea what was going through Beast Boy's mind, and something told him that sooner or later they will have an encounter with an older Cyborg or even an older Raven, but he wasn't 100% sure on that fact.

Robin didn't know how long he was left alone with his thoughts, but his train of thoughts was interrupted by Phoenix entering the room looking as if he had received mildly sad news. "I set this vehicle to auto – pilot, and we will arrive in Salt Lake City in 4 hours." He said robotically, as he lowered the baby Vic the IV, who was half sleeping half singing, into a crib that appeared out of thin air.

Robin and the rest of the Titans looked up at Phoenix and nodded as if they needed to know. None of them sure on what to say or what to do. Phoenix looked around at each Titan, as if expecting them to offer something to say. When nothing came Phoenix clapped his hands and made a small smile "So. Tea or Coffee? The pantry has some, and I think it would be nice to have something to drink before we arrive." He said with a forced smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" Robin said looking up at Phoenix "I thought your father said that we weren't going to fight."

"I know." Phoenix said too bluntly as if he wanted to get the subject out of the way "I know what Dad said to you, and I mostly agree with what he said, however he isn't forcing you not to fight, and I won't either. It is your choice. Tea or Coffee."

"Tea please." Raven said rubbing her face "I need some to soothe my nerves, and that stew breakfast didn't help."

"Yes Mo- I mean Raven…" Phoenix said slapping his mouth when the word 'Mom' was halfway out of his mouth. Raven looked as if she had toothache as she waved a hand at Phoenix which read 'forget it'.

Robin asked for Coffee and the rest of the Titans agreed, and Phoenix vanished into the tiny kitchen to emerge out again a few seconds later with a silver platter with 6 chipped mugs, two cups of tea and four cups of coffee along with a sugar bowl and a large bottle of milk.

Robin took a cup of the steaming hot coffee and raised it to his mouth, only to spit it out in disgust. The liquid tasted like hot tar mixed with raw sewage and mud.

"Sorry if it isn't up to standards for you." Phoenix said as the rest of the Titans except for Starfire spat out their drinks. "But tea and coffee are a bit of a luxury in this part of the world."

"Yeah right!" Cyborg said, who was now washing his mouth with his water bottle as if he was gargling mouth wash "I feel like you just tried to poison me!"

"The tea tastes like grounded up leaf juice." Raven said looking at the cup as if it had mildly offended her.

"Friend Raven, isn't that what tea is?" Starfire asked who was busily adding a mountain of sugar and a flood of milk to her coffee.

"Whatever" Raven groaned as she telekinetically thrusted the teacup back into the platter "I don't really want that thank you very much."

"Whatever you say." Phoenix said who grabbed Raven cup and finished the tea for her. There was another long pause as Phoenix took a seat on the chair and gazed at each of the Titans, as if trying to send a secret message to them with facial expressions alone.

"So…Phoenix." Robin said as if trying to break the silence "What…Do…Do you have any idea how to get us back into the past?"

Phoenix paused for a moment lost in deep thought. He produced an axe out of thin air and began to toss it around in the air as if juggling it. The blade flashing in the air like a beacon, slicing though the air like scissors on paper.

"No" Phoenix said suddenly looking down at Robin "Booster Gold vanished a long time ago, many of Lex Luthor's time machines were destroyed in a fire a couple of decades ago, Warp is dead, good luck getting the materials needed to rebuild a time machine and the speed force and all that is out of the question. So, no I have no ideas."

"Well there must be something!" Robin exclaimed

"If you have any other ideas, I would like to hear it." Phoenix said

Robin paused, trying to think. But when nothing came, he let out a loud sigh in frustration. Starfire threw Robin a rib crushing hug which made Robin turn bright pink.

"Phoenix…" Cyborg said softly, sounding like a child about to tell his parents that he broke something "I…I have a question…"

"What is your question?" Phoenix said cocking his head and raising his eyebrows.

"Well…" Cyborg said as if unsure on what to say "…Do…Do you know…what…what I…I am like in…in this future? And uh…why…why I became…became…not a good guy?"

Phoenix closed his eyes and sighed as if he had just got out of bed or needed to get into it. "Cyborg. I wish I can tell you, but I do not know the complete answer. All I know is this." Phoenix paused as if recalling a traumatic memory "You constantly upgraded to the point where the motherbox radiation infected your mind. I think I should also mention that you worked under harsh conditions, as a slave under Cheetah's iron fist…which probably affected your mind that you became a supervillain and took Cheetah down." He paused again examine all the Titans facial expressions grimly.

Cyborg paused. Unable to comprehend what he had heard. He knew what this meant. Starfire had told him in great detail about what he is like when he wasn't able to 'upgrade' himself and it made him shudder to think of it. However, on the other hand, what Phoenix is describing terrified him, not only by the words he used, but the tone he said it in said it all. He looked down at his hands, as if expecting them to give him an answer. None came. Then his mind noticed a small flaw with what Phoenix had said. Something that didn't quite add up. Cheetah ruled over with an iron fist…but if that's so…

"Wait a moment…" Cyborg mumbled under his breath. He looked up at Phoenix about to speak, but Robin beat him to it.

"But if Cheetah really ruled over with an iron fist." Robin said as if reading Cyborg's mind "Why hadn't she done the same to older Beast Boy?"

Phoenix raised his eyebrows as if Robin had asked a good question. He made an unreadable expression as he said in an unusual tone "Well…All I know is that Cheetah has a giant soft spot for Dad…I don't know how or why, all I do know is that she treated him better than all the other remain superheroes who were alive who were in her territory."

Beast Boy made a face as if he was about to throw up "What do you mean ' _Cheetah has a soft spot for me?'_ " Beast Boy squawked "I only met her once and she tried to rip my throat out! Why on Superman's red outer underpants would Cheetah have a soft spot for me!?"

Phoenix shrugged "Your guess is as good as mine" he said as he continued to juggle with his axe.

"All Future Cyborg and Cheetah stuff aside for a moment please." Robin said who walked up to Phoenix as if he was on a minefield "What is your plan when we arrive at Salt Lake City?"

"Easy" Phoenix said tossing the axe at Robin, who instinctively caught it in his hand "All we do is to stealthily go up to the podium as flies where Ashly and her guest is making their speech, we transform into any animal, kill them, kill any of their goons that get in our way, then we run like hell and use the tank cannon when fleeing. Easy"

Robin blinked rapidly. He looked down at the axe and scowled at it. So many things can go wrong in this. There could be armed men who could shoot at them when their backs are turned, what if someone notices the vehicle approaching the city, what if the tank cannon doesn't work and what if they get captured? So many things can go wrong.

Phoenix nodded as if he just read Robin's mind "I know." He said "But it's the only plan that we've got that works so far. And sometimes we may need to get ourselves captured to get answers, but fortunately this won't be one of these times. Don't worry about us or about yourself. I promise you, that we will be in and out and within sunrise, if we are unlucky I promice to you that all of us will make it out alive, you almost always do. And I promise to you then, then we will be making a plan on getting you back to the past and stopping this future. I don't know how, but we will."

Phoenix is half right on what he said. They will be out of Salt Lake City within sunrise, and everyone in the vehicle, even the baby Vic the IV will make it out alive. But one of the Titans will come out broken and traumatized forever haunted for the rest of their lives. Robin didn't know it, but years on into the future he will be forever haunted by what happened in Salt Lake City.


	20. Ashly's Speech

The room was extremely small, around the size of a small wardrobe. It only had enough room to stone a small wooden bench, a wall sized mirror, and one occupant. Ashly.

Ashly looked at herself in the mirror and closed her eyes. In and out. In and out. She wore a Robin uniform that made her look as if her father was a girl, which Ra's had made a bad joke on, which she laughed off upon. She unconsciously looked at the mirror again as if trying to find some kind of flaw with her appearance. She adjusted a few strands of hair, and she scanned for non – existent pimples.

Then her eyes came to rest on the photograph of her and Poppy. Her features almost identical to her save for her brilliant blonde hair, their goofy smile, their tight embrace like all young kids do when they were little. Then she looked at the caption below the photo.

**Do it for her**

She closed her eyes and struggled to hold back a tear. Her best, and only friend was dead because of crime. Because of people not willing to break the mould, because of people unwilling to take action. Now, now people will no longer loose their Poppy. Now people can live in peace and prosperity. It was the only thing close to law and order of the past that she can bring.

True, people die, but only those who deserve it. But she knew that people like her will never loose people important to them. No more death, no more crime, no more innocent suffering. She looked at the photo again and placed her hand on it. A tear falling down her face. _'Never again'_ she whispered under her breath. _'Never again'_

She looked at the photo and placed her hand on it one last time, then she left the room. She turned her head to look at the photo one last time before closing the door behind her.

* * *

The building was one of the tallest buildings left standing in the city. Standing at almost 40 stores tall it towered over all the other buildings. The building looked like any generic office tower, made entirely out of glass and silver metal, nothing much drew much attention towards it. However, Ashly had installed a few extra things to make it slightly stand out more. The first was the giant, metal red 'R' on the top of the roof that gleamed as if it was a giant ruby. The second was a medium sized metal balcony which gave a modest view of most of the city as well as the large flat horizon beyond. The third was a giant jumbotron like one of those giant TV's people find in stadiums that replay moves done by the payers that was placed directly above the balcony so that the people down below will know exactly who is talking to them. Finally, the streets below, namely the streets that was directly in front of the balcony has been cleared of most of the buildings so that way a large crowd can gather in front of the building.

It was as if the entire world had decided to gather there. Crowds and crowds of people all of them yelling, screaming and shouting inaudible phrases. People of all ages, of all classes and statuses were there. All of them doing their own thing.

Ashly looked down at the crowd from a small window examining them all. Ra's Al Ghul stood by next to her a thin smile on his face. "Come on." He said softly. "It's time to deliver your speech."

Ashly made a face, closed her eyes and nodded as she stepped out of the large glass window and into the balcony. Almost immediately the noise of the crowd hit her as if she was hit by a truck. All these people were here for her, all of them cheering or jeering. She made a small smile as she walked up to the stand which had a large microphone and her speech on it. She didn't need to look up to see the giant screen displaying her face to the crowd. She made a hand gesture and almost immediately the crowd fell silent.

"Good Afternoon, my friends, my people, the people of the Realm of the Robin!" Ashly said jubilantly and as if on cue the crowd erupted into applause and cheers. Ashly smiled as she looked down at the crowd, all of them cheering and applauding for her. She made a gesture and the rest of the crowd fell silent "I am Ashly. The new Robin. And I am here to deliver good news!" She paused as she turned a page in her noted "For too long... crime and chaos has ruled over your lives." She bellowed, saying the word crime as if the word itself had personally insulted her in some way

"It has torn families and friends apart, it has destroyed our businesses, our homes, our normal lives! We all lost someone because of crime! Our Friends! Our Fathers! Our Mothers! Our Sisters! Our Brothers! Our Sons! Our Daughters! Our Families!"

There was a long pause of silence. Broken only by the still wind. Nobody dared speak a single decibel. Ashly closed her eyes and continued.

"I lost my best friend to crime…Her name was Poppy. She and I, when we were little kids, we were like sisters. We weren't rich. But we had each other. That was all that mattered to us. But then. One night, someone broke into her home. Her father's head was blown off. She and her mother was raped, and then murdered by a group of thugs who wanted to settle a score! They took Poppy from me! They took their families from you! They destroyed your livelihoods and your homes! And I say never again! No longer will these thugs terrorize our streets! No longer will they rape and kill those that we love! No longer will shoplifters and looters destroy your businesses and leave you with no food on the table! No more will drugs ruin peoples lives! No longer will the guilty harm the innocent! To that I say, NO MORE!"

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as they all chanted one word "ROBIN! ROBIN! ROBIN!" Ashly smiled, relishing the cheers and cries of the crowd. She made a hand gesture and the entire crowd slowly became silent as she continued

"As you may already know." She said "I have now installed a new order in the Realm of the Robin. Something that my predecessor didn't have the balls to do." She pointed up at the screen as she continued to speak "I have here footage of something that has just happened almost an hour ago. And believe me, the people involved, deserve what is coming for them."

* * *

As if on cue the screen changed from Ashly's face to what looked to be a multi – story carpark. The carpark was made completely out of concrete and it was filled with the shells that used to be people's cars. There were cars that looked as if it had exploded, and then there were cars that were complete dust and rust balls, and then there were cars that looked like Frankenstein's of other cars put together into one big mess of junk. At first it looked as if the carpark was completely deserted, not a soul in sight. But, on the very highest level the camera showed a very ugly scene indeed. There were a handful of wreaked cars on the top level, but one of them looked as if it had just come out of the conveyor belt. It was a pure white limousine the sort that supermodels and actors ride in when they go to big, well publicised events. There were three people on the carpark rooftop. The first was a tall woman that looked like a supermodel or an actress. She had long, Rapunzel like black hair, overblown lips that was painted with lipstick, eyes that belonged to a wolf and a face that made her look as if she was looking at a pot of gold. Every part of her body was over – exaggerated from her breast size to the shape of her chest to the length of her arms and legs made her look as if she had stepped out of a cartoon for adults. She was wearing a large grey dress that was both too thick and too thin at the exact same time. In her right hand she was holding what looks to be a fusion between a machine gun, a revolver, a flame thrower, a missile launcher, a laser gun, a cross bow, a bow and arrow, a harpoon gun and a spear launcher. On her left she was holding a video camera that an amateur film maker would use.

In front of her, on their knees were two young children. The first one was a little boy who was wearing a red fox costume, the other was a girl that was a year or two older in a peach rabbit costume. The crowd immediately knew what was going on. This woman worked in the black market and was making an adult film with underaged actors.

The woman barely had the time to press any button on the camera before there were several flashes on the screen, a brief pause and the woman collapsed down. Dead.

* * *

The crowd erupted into applause and cheering as if they were football fans who watched their goalkeeper do a spectacular save. Ashly applauded as well, a wide smile on her face as the screen showed the two kids run for their lives as if the woman was a bomb about to explode.

"Let me make this clear to everyone!" Ashly bellowed, as she produced a small stick out of thin air. "Alone, when we fight against this plague, we are weak and vulnerable." She bent the stick, which snapped cleanly in two. "But together, when all of us…The People of the Realm of the Robin…" Ashly then produced a large pile of sticks and held it up to the sky trying to break it. Not a single stick snapped. "…When all of us, unite against crime, unite against this plague. WE. ARE. STRONG!"

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers. Ashly smiled, looking down at each face looking up at her as if each person in the crowd had saved her life. She looked up into the horizon and made another smile at what she saw. A large vehicle that looked a bit like a tank from the distance.

She knew who it was and turned to see Ra's Al Ghul directly behind her a small remote in his hands that had a single red button. "Nice speech." He said under his breath

"Thank you." Ashly said

"They are early." He said grimly looking at the approaching vehicle in the distance "Shall we give them a greeting? My people are ready to face them."

Ashly nodded "Why not?" She said with a thin smile "You're the guest, and you are in charge of the main event."

Ra's Al Ghul smiled and made a mocking bow. Ashly mirrored him.

"Thank you." Ra's Al Ghul said "Let us begin…"

He waved a single finger in the air, then he pressed down onto the big red button.

"Let us begin, the main event" Ra's Al Ghul said with a wide smile, as he looked into the distance waiting for his men to strike.

"Shall we partake ourselves?" Ashly said with a thin smile, "Just for effect?"

"Of course!" Ra's Al Ghul said with a smile "I'm not afraid to do my own dirty work, and anyway, I've missed these fights."

"You do realise that we can't kill some of them though," Ashly said following Ra's Al Ghul. 

"I do." Ra's said talking more to himself then Ashly "As do my people. But what I've had planned they might as well be dead, Lazarus Pit or not."


	21. Welcome to Salt Lake City

Robin and the rest of the Titans stared out of the window to look upon the distant view of what is left of Salt Lake City. This was their first view of a former major metropolitan area in this apocalyptic future, and already they didn't like the look of it at all.

"So…" Robin said staring at Phoenix who was apparently doing fire tricks while rapily shifting in multiple animal forms, much to the amusement of Beast Boy and Starfire, and in a way, Raven. "…you want us to stay in here while you and Old Man Beast Boy go out and fight?"

"That's the plan" Phoenix said. He was now in his mongoose form and was juggling balls of fire. "We go in, Dad does most of the killing while I direct most of the innocent people to safety. I admit that I am not good at it, but I can do it."

"Alright then…but what's your plan after that?" Robin said, not sure on what to say after that

"We go to see my mentor, Constantine." Phoenix said, shifting into his monkey form and preformed some kind of fire hula – hoop tricks, which received applause from Beast Boy and Starfire who were trying to distract themselves from what is going to happen. "Or maybe have a stop at the Oasis. I heard it is a lovely place to go to at this time of the year."

"Right…" Cyborg said as if unsure on what to say "…What is the Oasis?"

"Doesn't matter right now" Phoenix said now shifting into his human form "All that we know is that we have the minor advantage of surprise and I intend to…"

* * *

But Phoenix didn't have the time to complete his sentence when there was a giant explosion. It was as if the entire air had been turned into bright light and fire. Shrapnel flew through the air, stabbing at anything and anyone that it came in contact with and the loudness of the bang was so loud, so loud that it made half of the Titan's ears bleed.

It all happened so fast and so quickly that one moment Robin was looking at Phoenix, the next moment he was groaning in pain, he felt as if he was stabbed at least a hundred times all over his back, his ears felt as if they had turned into a fog horn, his eyes was on fire and his bones felt as if they had been ran over by a steam roller. His lungs felt as if they were clogged and his throat wanted to turn itself inside out.

With great difficulty he tried to pull himself together, and he found the task of getting up Herculean. He looked around him to see that half of the vehicle has been ripped apart. The entire air seemed to have been transformed into dust, sand and shrapnel. Next to him was Starfire who sounded as if she was trying to yodel, Cyborg who looked as if he had been hit by a train, Beast Boy in his armadillo form shielding himself from the blast and Raven who was hovering over the rest of them as if she encountered explosions every day.

He looked up at the giant hole and stared in horror to see a large army of men, all of them dressed up as either ninjas, samurais or wearing tacky costumes of Batman and all of them were pointing giant weapons at them. Everything from bows and arrows, to machine guns, to giant mallets, to samurai swords, to tridents.

The new league of Shadows.

"Titans!" Robin cried coughing rapidly as if speaking was too much for him "Go!" as all the Titans charged at the crowd.

* * *

Robin ran straight towards a rather shrimpy looking woman firing a machine gun at him. Robin tried to dodge the bullets, however they all stuck him in the chest. Had he not been wearing protective armour, and had he not been spinning his staff in front of his head, he would have most certainly been a goner. Robin threw in a kick to the woman's gun and then kicked her right in the solar plexus, sending her down onto the floor.

Starfire flew up only to be met with a giant ball of fire. Starfire looked down to see a giant man firing a flamethrower straight at her. With one well aimed Starbolt the woman along with several other people were sent flying back as if hit by a truck.

Raven was engaged in combat with what looked to be a woman whos skin made out of rocks. The rock woman was throwing giant mountain sized boulders out of thin air and throwing them like cannon balls straight at Raven's head. Raven barely had the time to recover from the crash when a well-aimed boulder hit her right in the face, causing her to almost fall unconscious. Finding the strength that she thought that she didn't have, she closed her eyes and bellowed "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" and immediately giant purple ropes emerged out of thin air, wrapping around the rock woman until she looked like some badly wrapped Christmas present.

Cyborg was engaged in a laser gun fight with a man who could have passed as Control Freaks twin brother. Cyborg fired his laser cannon at the same time the man fired his laser gun. The beams met right in the middle, which had a strange effect where both beams tried to go forward but is meeting resistance which created a strange looking light show, with neither one dominating the other. Cyborg closed his eyes and concentrated to force more power and then…BAM! The man was sent down onto the ground. Unconscious. Cyborg smiled as he ran to help his friends.

Beast Boy transformed into a cheetah and was dodging many attacks from the armed men, however he had to duck, doge and jump over many attacks. He ran up and pounced on a man who was about to fire his gun at Starfire who was rapidly firing her starbolts at the crowd, only to find himself surrounded by a small crowd of people holding vicious looking knives. Beast Boy immediately shifted into a falcon and fired himself into the sky to join Starfire and then…

* * *

The strikes happened so fast and so quickly that it was over moments after it began.

Raven was firing her spells when something hit her on the back. She turned around to see a giant tranquiliser dart impaled on her back. Raven tried to resist it, but it was a fool's errand as she felt herself falling down into darkness.

Cyborg was about to yell out when he heard something move behind him. He whipped around only to see the man he thought he had just knocked about right in front of his face. Cyborg barely had time to react as the man fired aiming right at his chest, sending him flying in the air like a rag doll. Sending him down, down into darkness.

Starfire cried out as she saw her friend, Raven fall she was about to see if she can save her when a giant force hit her straight in the back. Starfire felt as if she had been run over by a truck carrying explosives that was on fire and had decided to blow up when it was directly over her back. Then she too fell down, down, down, into darkness.

The moment Beast Boy launched himself into the air he heard a strange sound, like a boomerang flying through the air. Beast Boy cocked his head only too see a giant net that looked to be made of that material Red – X uses. He didn't have enough time to react when the net hit him, sending him crashing down onto the ground unable to move.

Robin cried out seeing all his teammates go down. He would have helped them, had he not been surrounded by at least 20 monolithic men all of them aiming their hostile weapons at him. He knew that if he did so much as reach for so much as a paperclip they would all fire and no matter all his training, he knew that they wouldn't miss.

* * *

That was when he heard it. An animal like roar. An angry animal like roar. An angry animal like roar that was heading full speed towards Robin.

A man holding a giant rifle who was closest to Robin barely had the time to cock his head when his face of puzzlement to pure shock and horror as a loud squelching sound that sounded like rubber boots on mud whipped through the air. Robin stared too as he saw a giant, hulk like fist punch straight through the man's chest.

Old Man Beast Boy looked livid. He too was extremely beat up, however his phoenix like healing factor was helping him out.

There was a giant screech like nails on a chalk board as out of the sky, blue fire balls came cascading down like the wrath of God. Phoenix was firing his fireballs straight at their attackers and he was doing a good job at it sending half of the men and women into nothing but giant balls of flame as they ran at top speed at so many directions that they collided with one another.

Robin took his chance and threw a smoke bomb immediately sending a giant ploom of fog around him. The next few minutes for Robin can only be descried as a flurry of punches, kicks and dodges as he knocked all of his attackers out with his stun gun/tranquiliser gun. This can be a simple training exercise, expect a little more real, and a little more deadly.

Cyborg looked up to see the man pointing his laser gun at his face, he didn't have the time to fully process that he might die when the man fired…only for the laser to bounce off around Cyborg. The man blinked. Cyborg blinked. Suddenly, without any warning the man got thrown back as if he was hit by a train. Cyborg turned to see the baby Vic the IV firing what looked to be force fields out of his hands. Cyborg smiled as he picked up the baby who was giggling giddily at Cyborg.

"You really are my grandson." Cyborg said under his breath as he embraced the baby in a hug.

Old Man Beast Boy let out another beast like roar as he launched himself at the crowd of men. He slashed his beast like claws disembowelling people left, right and centre as if he was a spoiled kid opening gifts on Christmas. He saw a juggernaut of a man approach him. Old Man Beast Boy smiled as he launched himself at the juggernaut turning himself into a giant snake. He smiles as he wrapped himself around the man like a rope and increased the pressure. The man squirmed and struggled against him, but that made Old Man Beast Boy increase the pressure until…. There was a loud crunching sound and Old Man Beast Boy smiled as he looked down at the bag of skin that used to be a man. Then made a giant scorpion's stinger burst out of his backside to impale a large row of men like a kebab. He turned to see that they looked as if they had been impaled by some strange device as the skin around the hole in their chest resembled a balloon about to explode.

He looked around him to see that he couldn't see anyone else through the fog, and choosing to shift into his phoenix form he fired himself into the air to join Phoenix in their fire attack and…

* * *

**BOOOM!**

The bazooka rocket stuck the two phoenixes so suddenly and so quickly that they didn't even had the time to realise that they had been hit until it was too late, and the two shapeshifters were sent plummeting back to earth. Phoenix unfortunately landed right on top of Cyborg, which almost immediately knocked him out cold. Old Man Beast Boy was no less fortunate as he was impaled through the chest by a discarded sword.

Robin looked up from the ninja that he had just defeated to see a girl in a Robin suit emerge out from a jeep holding two missile launchers and a face that both looked extremely gleeful and extremely sad at the same time.

Robin knew who he was looking at. His daughter. Ashly.

Once again, Robin's mind seemed to have jammed. What is he supposed to say to her? What is he supposed to do? Does he try to reason with her? Does he try to fight with her? Knock her out? What is he supposed to do?

The all too familiar feeling of a gun getting forced on your back brought Robin back to Earth as he realised that he had been staring for too long. Then a voice, a voice that he knew all too well spoke.

"Well, Well, Well." Ra's Al Ghul sneered "Dick Grayson. How we meet again."

"Ra's Al Ghul…" Robin growled

"Yes. That's me." Ra's Al Ghul said "Me and my host welcome you to Salt Lake City. And it is a host's duty to entertain their guests."

"Ashly…" Robin whispered in horror

"Father!" Ashly cried, sounding like someone who is reuniting with a long-lost friend or family member, "Come on over here and have a drink! And let me tell you how you are going to die!"


	22. The Two Robins

"So, you time travelled here from the past, and now you are stuck here eh? Very interesting, very interesting indeed."

Robin, Ashly and Ra's Al Ghul were all sitting in an extremely fancy café, the sort that one would expect to see in a brochure for Paris. The café had too many tables, too fancy furniture, and was complete with a skyscraper sized chandelier which cast all the colours known to man all over the café.

The table that Robin was sitting at had a complete tea set along with a tray that was overflowing with tiny sandwiches, macaroons and tiny cookies. Ra's Al Ghul had insisted on giving Robin a cup of tea which he reluctantly drank.

Around him were at least 50 people all of them eating and drinking, but they were all heavily armed and Robin knew that if he so much as used the wrong tone, Ra's Al Ghul would give an order and they would all open fire on him. Which is why he tried to control himself very carefully.

"Where are my friends?" Robin half growled looking at Ra's Al Ghul as if he had mortally offended him

"Oh, don't worry about them, Dick Grayson." Ra's Al Ghul smirked "They are perfectly fine, come on, have a macaroon, the lemon ones are my favourite."

"What are you playing at?" Robin groaned

"Not me" Ra's Al Ghul said, as he gestured at Ashly "Her."

Ashly smiled as if she was granted permission to speak "Hello, Father." She said leaning across the table so that her nose was touching his "It's been a while since we last met, and even though I know that you haven't had the same experiences as my father from my time, Dick Grayson is still Dick Grayson, and I know how to send a message to Dick Grayson."

"That shoplifter…" Robin said under his breath

"Yes!" Ashly said with a smile as if seeing the expression on her younger father's face was extremely amusing "While I would have killed the shoplifter whether if you were there or not, I wanted to make sure that you will go here to Salt Lake City."

"Why?" Robin said

"So that I can fight you of course!" Ashly cried as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "I have been waiting to do this for so many years! I lost my opportunity a few weeks ago and now I have another, if Ra's Al Ghul weren't here I would have duelled you right in the crash site! But enough about that, do you want soda?"

"No." Robin said "Not from you."

"Why not?" Ashly said suddenly shifting into a sweet honey like voice "What have I done wrong? Tell the truth"

"You kill people. Innocent people!" Robin said

Ashly made a face as if she had just swallowed something bad and she threw down her steaming hot teacup to the floor which exploded into a million pieces. Ra's Al Ghul smiled as if he was watching a movie that he enjoyed.

"Innocent? INNOCENT!?" She cried "Do you know what my predecessor the Penguin was like? What life was like? Murder, Rape, Robbery, Arson was everywhere! Total and complete chaos! People stealing from one another, complete and total anarchy! The crime rates were through the roof! Many people died, family! friends! I lost my best friend to crime! She was murdered and raped by some thugs! And I had a part to play to her death!"

Ashly paused to breath heavily as she continued with her rant "That was when I learnt that the world needs order. It needs law, and what a better way of installing law and order than through fear? There is no other way! Now, with my system, a system that monitors every citizens thoughts and behaviours, we eliminate those scums who rape and murder! Now they live in fear! What is so wrong with that!? People now live in safety and security now that they know that nobody will hurt them ever again!"

"Everything is wrong with-it Ashly!" Robin roared losing control and spitting out everything in his mind "People who do this sort of thing. A human being who did a lot of stupid shit, maybe even evil, but had one small piece of goodness in him. Maybe just a scrap, Ashly, but something. Maybe they have a son or a daughter, maybe they have a best friend or a pet cat that they love! And then you come along, and that one tiny flicker of light gets snuffed out forever! You give your people safety, by placing a gun at everyone's heads! This is wrong! This isn't what the Robin mantle stands for. You know what you don't deserve to wear that fucking suit!"

Ashly paused as she looked down at her father, her face utterly blank. Then she looked up at Robin and with the same emotion as a speak your weight machine said "I think that your wrong."

"Where am I wrong?" Robin sneered

"All of it." Ashly snapped "I do the one thing that you can't! The one thing your pathetic, naïve little mind would never do! You hit them down, and they always get back up! I hit them once, AND THEY STAY DOWN! It's permanent, and I make sure that they never infect out streets, our homes, our lives! I take pride in that!" She paused as she looked up and down Robin, then looked up and down her body as if searching for a speak of dust

"As for the whole, 'I don't deserve the Robin mantle.' Your wrong too. I deserve the mantle because I am doing what I think is right to protect my city, I am doing what I think is right! You may think that I am doing something bad, but the people out there, normal people who suffered through hard times as a result of murder, looting and arson! They see me as a hero!"

"Let me ask you this." Robin said calmly

"What's that" Ashly said too bluntly

"An angry old man had just told me the same thing that your saying, he too kills people, he too is doing what he thinks is right, however to me you are both in the wrong, you in particular is the most wrong of all! And you know what, I live in the real world too, and I've seen it."

"Yeah?" Ashly growled

"Redemption Ashly, Redemption."

"Ah, Jesus Christ." Ashly swore

"It's real, and it's possible!"

"Oh!" Ashly said "Tell that to Cyborg! He was on your side, but after 10 or 15 or 20 years after suffering under Cheetah's paws he became what you would call a 'bad guy'. And as for what your bullshit statement, that the people that I kill 'deserve another chance'? only for them to what, to kill, murder and rape again?! NO!"

"I wasn't referring to that Ashly." Robin said calmly "I speak to you as your father. Please. I don't know what kind of father I was to you, but I know that I can do better than him. Please Ashly, I know that I have hurt you and I'm sorry. Is there anything that I can do? I am your father, and you are my daughter, even though we have gotten off on the wrong foot, I am sure that we can figure something out. Please, I ask you, I beg you stop this horrible killing spree and let me, and my friends go on our way. Please. I beg you. Daughter"

Ashly paused as if Robin's words were having an effect on her, then she shook her head violently. "When I was a little girl." Ashly said sounding like a mourner at a funeral "I had a friend called Poppy. She looked just like me and at school we used to joke that we were twins. We lived in Lantern Falls and both of us loved to do art, music, archery practice and workshop. We made our own little playground with scrap metal and piles of wood and we used to play around it every time school ended, and we always made it bigger during the holidays even if they get destroyed some way or another. We also loved hearing your stories about you being a superhero back when all was well, and we loved nothing more than to sit around in the starry night and hear epic stories of adventure. Poppy's personal favourite was the one about Trigon, my favourite was the one when you went to Tokyo. One day a man asked us directions to the place where Poppy lived, and me being the young, naïve little girl that I was back then, answered. Do you know what happened that night?" Ashly paused as if she was remembering a particular memory she wanted to suppress. She finally pulled herself together and continued

"Poppy's dad, who got in hot water with a gang got his fucking head blown off, his wife was stripped naked and raped and she got killed as well. Poppy, who was so young, and innocent got the same treatment as her mother. By sunrise the gang left, and they left their mutilated bodies on display as a message on not to screw with that gang. When you learnt about what happed, you hunted the gang down until you found the man responsible for Poppy's death. And what did you do?"

"I don't know." Robin said "You tell me."

"Instead of doing the sensible thing and killing him, you threw him into a makeshift prison! And guess what happened? A week later he was back on the fucking street doing the same god dam thing!" Ashly screamed. "It is because of you, that I saw light, that I saw the truth. That the only way to deal with scum like them is to kill them! That is the only way to make the world a better place!"

Ashly paused breathing heavily as if she had just ran a marathon "Now, eat up father, because you are going to need it for tonight."

"What do you mean?" Robin said taken aback at the sudden change of subject

"Simple." Ashly said "We fight, and the winner gets to do whatever they want. If I win, I get to kill you, and after a little dip in the Lazarus pit, you and your friends will be used in Operation Macedonia. But if you win, you get to walk out of here with your friends with a vehicle of your choice." Ashly stood up as if needing to go to the toilet "Either way, somebody is going to die tonight, and I am happy to report that it is going to be you."


	23. Cheetah and Rotto

Beast Boy can tell that Old Man Beast Boy wasn't happy. His face had so much range expressed on it that he looked as if he was about to shoot lasers out of his eyes. Never before had he been so humiliated. This sight was ruined due to the fact that someone had forced a power-nullifier collar around his neck mid morph along with firing a million tranqualizer darts on his back so that he was out cold until he awoken in their jail cell. Old Man Beast Boy now resembled what appeared to be if the supervillain Cheetah was a man, which made him both look very funny and scary at the same time.

Beast Boy too, as well as the other Titans had the same giant metal collars around their necks which felt as if he had swallowed an aircon whole. The room that they were in was extremely odd. It was as if he had walked into a giant birdcage, due to the fact that the room was cylindrical and had giant metal bars instead of walls.

Behind a giant wall was a simple toilet and a sink, and to the other side of the room was a giant screen and a large table where 7 food trays, were placed, each one, with the exception of the baby food, having a relatively large meal of soup noodles, a salad and an oversized meatloaf. Cyborg seeing a change to finally have some 'real food' wolfed down almost everything in his tray and, seeing that the shapeshifters doesn't eat meat helped himself to their meatloaf's, as he simultaneously fed the baby Vic the IV some baby food as if he was a mother.

"So…" Starfire said as she looked down at her food tray. "What is it that we do now?"

"I have no idea." Phoenix said, "But due to the fact that Robin is absent, it is safe to assume that he is involved with something with Ashly and Ra's Al Ghul, and that we are being used as leverage against him."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Raven said

"I tried to bend the metal of this cell" Starfire said "But I found that they are reinforced pretty well. Plus there are guards that keep on checking up on us"

"Hey, cat boy." Cyborg cried, looking at Old Man Beast Boy, but upon seeing the look on his face, Cyborg choose that time to stop talking.

"Well Friends!" Starfire said with a forced smile on her face facing Phoenix and Old Man Beast Boy "Since we are all in a tight situation, why don't we, what you Earthlings say, 'break the ice'?"

"…I suppose…" Phoenix said

"A question that I've always had in my mind is what have you been doing for over 40 years Friend Old Man Beast Boy?" Starfire said, oblivious to the fact that he looked unwilling to talk.

Old Man Beast Boy sighed heavily as he fiddled with the small pile of used tranquilizer darts that he had pulled out of his body just moments ago and sighed as if recalling a bad memory. "To tell you the truth Star…I don't know…" Old Man Beast Boy said "Once the supervillains took over the world, I knew that there were very few places left in the world that were safe. It was common knowledge that the rulers of each area around the world is hunting down anyone who is a metahuman, or the supervillains hunt down the remaining superheroes in their respective area. I managed to live this long for several reasons. The first is that most of the supervillains thought that they had 'broke me', which is absolutely true. The second is that I chose the right place to settle…"

Old Man Beast Boy paused as his face turned a strange colour. He took out his flask, chugged on it and sighed "I am going to tell you a story that happened to me, you might not find it relevant, but it is important for context. 41 years ago, when the entire Justice League were off world, Harley Quinn thought it would be a great idea to have a 'Girls night out'. By that she means capturing several of the remaining superheroes left, pulling a Slade and injecting them with nanobot's that will blow up at a press of a button. Then Harley Quinn had a major party where all the super villainesses were invited and the gift bags were the superheroes that they captured, saying that they are now our new 'assistants' and they can threaten to kill us if they don't do what they want." Old Man Beast Boy paused as he looked down at his bowl of ramen as if expecting to see a secret message written in the bowl "Yours truly ended up with Cheetah, and for 3 whole weeks I was forced to do whatever she wanted. I was her toy. I was forced to do everything from bank robberies to training with her to prepare to kill Wonder Woman…and if I didn't cooperate…well…the nano bots did more than just blow up. It can also cause great pain to you."

"I don't get it." Cyborg said "What has you being Cheetah's Toyboy got to do with this?"

"That's the thing." Old Man Beast Boy said. "She still saw me as her toy even after the nano bots were removed. I know this because she would frequently visit me for almost 15 years to 'see how I was doing'." Old Man Beast Boy looked up at the Titan's faces and upon looking at his younger self's face he said "No, I didn't marry her or sleep with her or anything like that…that I know of…But the point is, Cheetah kept me alive because she sees me as 'her property' however I can't really answer for Cyborg…and…uh…"

Old Man Beast Boy looked as if he regretted bring the topic up, but he continued immediately trying to change the topic away with his relationship with Cheetah

"…So after almost 15 years of being a drifter and occasionally being Cheetah's toy, I started a farm, and a few weeks after that, I met a woman called Linda, a few days after Cyborg killed Cheetah." Old Man Beast Boy's face turned an unusual colour as he continued "I was finally happy that I found love after the supposed death of Raven…Linda was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and less than a year later the next greatest thing in my life happened. A daughter…I named Rachel…in honour of Raven…I had a family...I was happy…I then had 3 more kids...Smart James…Big Stella…Little Jason…I…I…I loved them all…and…and…" Old Man Beast Boy stopped as he burst into tears, which is an extremely odd sight as he was half human, half cheetah.

"Evil me" Cyborg said under his breath.

Old Man Beast Boy nodded, tears cascading down his face. "Correct…he took everything from me…so I took everything from him…He is gone…I hope…"

"Don't worry Friend Old Man Beast Boy!" Starfire said "I am sure everything will be okay!"

Old Man Beast Boy looked up from his hands/claws and looked at Starfire in sorrow. "No. No. No Starfire. No. I am not okay. You can't just go through everything I have been through and say that 'I'm OK'. No. I have been through so much. You, the Titans haunt my dreams for years. I am never at peace. I have failed my family. I have failed Linda. I have failed Rachel. I have failed James. I have failed Stella. I have failed Jason. I have failed this world. I am not OK Starfire. If you think I am, you are naïve. I have suffered through so much. I. Am. Not. OK. I will never be OK. And you will have to accept that"

* * *

Robin was suffering from whiplash. One moment Ashly had declared that she was going to kill him, the next she had insisted that he gets a tour of the heart of her operation, which led him into going to a bunker in some sort of tower in the city.

He, Ashly and Ra's Al Ghul stepped into a fancy looking lift that had the aircon on full blast. The lift was made completely out of wood, had only two buttons and it seemed to take forever to reach the bottom. Ashly and Ra's Al Ghul chose this moment to relax and get themselves lost in their own thought, however Robin knew better than to attack them. Anyway, he already knew that one wrong move and his friends would get it.

When the lift finally reached the bottom, Robin was confronted with an odd sight. At first, he thought that he was looking at a futuristic looking arcade, due to all the large computers and equipment. A large crowd of people were operating these strange looking equipment, and all of them were wearing giant helmets that included VR goggles. To one side was a giant buffet holding every known food in the world, a door that led to the toilets, and another door that when looked at in an angle looked to be the corridor in a 5-star hotel. Robin stared at this in confusion, what the hell is going on?

"This" Ashly said proudly "Is the heart of my operation to cleanse my home of crime!"

Robin cocked his head, unable to comprehend what he is witnessing. Then it hit him as if he had been hit by a truck.

"They are telepaths!" Robin cried

"Yes…" Ashly said with a slick smile "It is the only way to maintain our security, the only way to make sure that the scum of the Earth get what they fucking deserve."

"Yeah, but this!?" Robin cried "What you are doing, killing criminals before they commit crimes, is bad. But this…taking away people's freedom!?"

"It's a price worth to pay for security!" Ra's Al Ghul sneered "it has been going on for centuries, and I see no difference"

"Ashly. What the hell is wrong with you!?" Robin cried "You are really killing people who just think of committing crimes!?"

"Well…" Ashly said "that depends…if they jokingly think about it then no. But if they seriously think about doing it, then yes!"

"NO!" Robin cried "No! No! No Ashly! NO!"

"I'm an adult dad! I can do whatever the fuck I want!" Ashly cried, as she made a gesture and out of nowhere two muscular men emerged carrying a thin man with a large blindfold on his face. Robin stared at the man as his blindfold was removed. He looked like any regular man. Black hair. Brown eyes. Too many pimples on his face. A badly shaven face and wearing cheap clothes.

Robin turned to see her holding a large gun. She smirked at Robin.

".357, one round in the chamber. Some things, they just…well…They feel right in your hand, huh? I know what you're thinking, Dad. You could attack me…but it's not gonna work, 'cause I'm all geared up." Ashly said as she looked down at the man as if he was something she found in a toilet seat.

"I'm not going to kill you." Robin said  
"Nope…Not yet, you're not." Ashly said as she now looked down at the man with pure rage on her face. "Now Dad. Now it's time to put a face to all your fancy talk about redemption. Hello, Freddy Trot, a.k.a. Rotto."The man called Rotto looked up at Ashly, fear was displayed on his face. He was terrified, and he knew what was happening "I don't wanna die." He cried "I don't wanna die!"  
"What did you do to him?" Robin growled  
"I caught this piece of shit stealing a car, trying to skip town." Ashly sneered  
"I was scared! I'm sorry, I was running for my life." Rotto begged  
"Shut up." Ashly growled

"Stop it, Ashly!" Robin cried "He doesn't deserve to die, just 'cause you caught him stealing cars!"  
"Is that what you think?" Ashly said in disbelief "Why don't you tell him a little bit about yourself?" She said looking down at the man

"You have no right to do this!" Robin roared

"I'm…I'm…I'm nothing. I'm just nobody." The man wailed"Oh, yeah? That all?" Ashly said  
"I…I…I pour their drinks. I drive their cars." Rotto wept  
"You were doing a little more than that a few weeks ago!" Ashly bellowed to the man's face  
"What are you trying to prove, Ashly?" Robin cried  
"You're trying to step up." Ashly said turning her attention back at the man  
"N…N…N…No." The man stammered  
"No?" Ashly practically screamed as she threw a kick at the man's face "NO!? Who are you!? West 43rd Street! 4th floor! Room T! Why don't you tell him what happened?"  
"Pl…Pl…please…" The man said, blood pouring like a waterfall out of his mouth as he turned to face Robin "I'm…I'm sorry…Please, please, I'm sorry."  
"You tell him now.." Ashly said, adding too much emphasis on each word as she thrusted her face at the man's face.  
"N…Nothing happened, I'm sorry."  
Ashly scowled. Then she raised her gun so that it was aimed directly at the man's face  
"I'm only gonna ask you one more time." She howled  
"Ahh! I didn't know!" The man wailed "It…It was an address! This…this…this guy, I didn't even know his name. He, he got wobbly with the wrong people, owed something to somebody, 'cause the order came from on high."  
"What orders?" Ashly growled  
"The…the…the sort you can't say no to."  
"Say the words!" Ashly yelled now punching the man vilontly in the face "You say it! Do you hear me?!"  
"You…You…You don't understand these animals!" The Man cried "You…you can't back out.  
You can't!"  
"I won't ask again. Say the words, asshole!" Ashly roared  
"I did it!" The Man screamed "I DID IT! I killed him! I killed him. I put two in his head!"

Ashly's face went dark then she grabbed the man's arm. There was a horrible snapping sound, as Ashly casually snapped the man's arm.  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The man howled

"NO!" Robin cried, but Ra's Al Ghul stopped him with his cane, his face in disapproval as if he was interrupted in watching a good movie.

"Tell. The. Rest. Of. It." Ashly growled

"I didn't know I didn't know the old man was in the house!" The man whimpered  
"Old man? What old man? What did you do?" Robin said  
"I…I didn't know he was in the house. He wasn't supposed to be in the house. He…He started screaming. I begged him to stop."  
"What did you do?" Robin said, already knowing the answer  
"He…He…He saw my face…I…I…I had no choice!"  
"Old man left a wife. Dead woman, husband and kids." Ashly said solemnly  
"You gotta understand me. I had to do it." The man said, but his words fell onto deaf ears as Ashly gestured at the man to Robin as if this was supposed to change everything.  
"You still think this piece of shit is worth saving?" Ashly barked  
Robin looked at the angry Ashly, then at the terrified man, then back at Ashly, then back at the terrified man.

"I'm not gonna shoot him." Robin said  
"Yeah, okay." Ashly said as if she expected this answer. "Then I will."

Ashly lifted her gun, and fired a single shot.

* * *

Nothing much happened after that. The only sound came from Old Man Beast Boy drinking from his flask and Starfire's futile attempts to restart the conversation. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, it was Raven who broke the silence.

"So…we are waiting for Robin to get us out of here?" Raven said

"Yes." Old Man Beast Boy said "It is all down to Robin. No matter what he is up to, I hope that he will survive."

As if on cue, the screen suddenly flickered to life. All the Titans turned to face the screen, as if they knew what they are about to see will determine whether if they live or die. And this was comfired when the sceen showed a single face.

Robin.

Robin was wearing his usual Robin uniform except this time he was wearing a giant blindfolded, and he looked absolutely terrified as if he had just seen someone die in front of him. His mouth was forming rapid shapes and his bones seemed to have been turned into jelly.

Starfire cried out as if trying to warn Robin on what is about to happen "Robin!" She screamed "Robin! We are OK! ROBIN!?"

The screen flickered again to show Ashly, also wearing a giant blindfold, and she was heavily armed with all the weapons known to man. She was busily juggling a giant axe as if it was a toy. She looked more composed, more relaxed as if flighting people to the death while blindfolded is something that someone did on a regular basis.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls!" The voice of Ra's Al Ghul rang out "We are about to see our beloved champion; our dear leader; Ashly Grayson take on her father from the past! The one and only Robin, Dick Grayson!"

There was an inaudible sound of a large crowd cheering as the screen showed the two people with the caption showing their name.

"Let the battle begin!" Ra's Al Ghul cried as the horn blared as the two figures walked to the area, both of them knowing that one of them would die.


	24. The First Kill

"You want me to do what!?" Robin said completely discombobulated

"Fight with this blindfold on," Ashly said as if it was something people did every day. The two were in a room that can be any changing room in the world with too many lockers, half-broken toilets and showers that were seldomly used. The only difference here is instead of lockers they had weapon closets.

Ashly had led Robin out off the basement as if shooting people in the head was as ordinary as talking on the telephone and practically dragged him into a stadium where she said they will fight and if he won, he and his friends will walk away free.

"And what if I refuse to fight?" Robin said bluntly looking down at Ashly who was busily looking down at a giant axe.

"Well." Ashly said calmly "If you refuse to fight me, I will start to do some pretty nasty things to your friend's father!"

Robin blinked rapidly. He had been in this position before and he knew that he had no other choice but to comply. This was like Slade making him his apprentice all over again, except this time it was his psychopathic daughter who wants to fight him to the death because he...his future self...refused to kill someone who had killed someone Ashly cared about.

Ashly smiled at the look on Robin's face and said "if you are wondering why you and I are wearing blindfolds, you are blind in this future...and I want a fair fight."

"Ashly...please…" Robin said "Don't do this...please..."

"Oh...but I do!" Ashly sneered "You are weak...pathetic...spineless and I want to correct it!"

"Ashly...my daughter..." Robin said, pleading with her but Ashly acted as if she had gone deaf

"If one of us dies or gets knocked out they loose." Ashly said bluntly as she tossed an axe into the air. "Lets hope its the former, and not the latter"

* * *

Robin was terrified for his life. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew that he had no other choice. He can't see anything, but his hearing and other senses seemed to have augmented dramatically. Unconsciously he was reminded of the time when all the Titans swapped bodies. It was after a failed attempt to capture Mumbo Jumbo when he cast a spell which resulted in everyone except for Cyborg switching bodies with one another. He and Starfire had swapped bodies; as well as Beast Boy and Raven, and it was a comment that Raven said, about how sensitive Beast Boy's senses are.

Robin wasn't sure how this situation made him think about Raven's comment but he is beginning to get a general idea. His ears seemed to pick up every sound around him as if everything from the movements in the air to the sounds that he made painted an image in his head on his surroundings. His sense of smell was also augmented as his nose detected every possible smell around him, from rusty metal to damp, sterile air only found in hospitals. His skin was sending him confusing messages and his tongue seemed to have converted the tasteless air into a glass of fine wine. He didn't dare remove the blindfold. Ashly made it clear that she wanted a fair fight and he shuddered to think about what the consequences would be if he removed his blindfold.

' _If this is what blind people experience or not.'_ Robin thought _'How do they handle all of this?'_

Robin didn't know how long he was left standing in the room, all he can do was clutch his bo staff as if his life depended on it. He inhaled. In. Out. In. Out. He tried to calm his mind. This was like another training session and all he had to do was knock Ashly out. But Ashly wanted to kill him...and he was almost certain that he may have trained her or not and that would cause a lot of other questions.

Suddenly a siren blared and to Robin, it felt as if his brain had been forcibly removed from his skull. He heard a metallic creek and a rush of warm air hit him like a truck. He knew what was going on. An arena fight. Some twisted fantasy of Ashly.

He ran forward trying to rely on his augmented senses...only to hit something hard almost immediately.

He staggered back, trying to compose himself. He concentrated on his ears, trying to see if he can use them like his second eye, like how bats 'see' in the dark as the myth said. He tried to soothe his mind to concentrate. He took a step. Water flew up in the air. The water droplets shimmered in the air creating tiny sounds that were increased by Robin's augmented hearing. The sound created a tiny picture in Robin's mind of the layout of what was in front of him.

A concrete maze. With 3 paths. One left, one right and one center. Flipping a coin in his mind he chose the left, using his hand to trace the sandpaper-like wall. He increased his pace. The water on the floor getting louder and louder which further increased the mental image of the maze. He stopped suddenly. He went down on his knees and felt the floor in front of him. Solid. Mucky. Muddy. Air.

A pit. Two steps and he would have fallen in. Robin closed his eyes, trying to rely on his other senses. His tongue felt a weird sensation. As if he had tried to eat his shirt. Reaching up with his arms he grabbed the air until he felt something. A rope. He grabbed it and hoping that this isn't another of Ashly's traps, he swung...the cold air whipped onto Robin's face as he jumped off, and rolled onto the muddy floor.

Robin closed his eyes, trying to pull his senses back together. He walked forward slowly...that was when he heard it. The rapid breathing. But not his. Someone else. Ashly.

Robin froze. He clutched his bow staff closer to him as he tried to prepare himself for the fight with Ashly.

He paused. Waiting for his senses to pick something up. Nothing came. Robin paused. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for Ashly to strike…

Then he threw himself down onto the ground. Half a second too soon and the axe could have made contact. He heard the axe slice through the air. Water dropplets flying through the air as it got sliced up by the axe.

Robin launched his attack. He thrusted his legs up and it came into perfect contact with Ashly's pelvis. Ashly stagged back crying out as she did so, Robin produced his bo staff and swung it in the air where he sensed Ashly was.

He swung the staff...and he sensed Ashly ducking the attack, mirroring his duck mere seconds ago. Ashly launched herself at Robin much like how an animal attacks its prey. Robin threw himself out of the way, nearly knocking himself out on a wall as he did so.

He got up onto his feet. His bones seemed to have been turned into jelly. His brain was shaking and his senses was dulled out. He tried to pull himself together. He staggered back and forth. He heard Asly approaching him. She too must be stunned.

He clutched his bo - staff as hard as he can with his left hand.

Robin concentrated. Waiting for his senses to detect something.

Slash.

Ashly stepped on a puddle.

No more than 12 feet away. Robin turned, holding his bo staff. Waiting until Ashly was in range of his attack.

He paused. Waiting. Waiting.

Robin didn't have time to react as Ashly threw herself at Robin's body sending him crashing to the ground. He felt cold, wet, muddy hand around his neck. He felt it tighten as it got harder and harder to breathe. Robin went mad, trying to throw Ashly off him, but Ashly had her knee on his chest, pinning him down like a bug. His legs launched itself at Ashly's back, but to no avail. His arms went wild, searching for his dropped bo - staff. If he can just grab it and hit her on the head, maybe it will all be over.

It was getting harder and harder to think. Harder and harder to breathe. His arms went mad. Then his right hand came into contact with something. Cylindrical, hard and wooden.

His bo - staff.

Without pausing to think, he grabbed it and thrusted it as hard as he can at where he sensed Ashly's head to be.

**SPLAT!**

* * *

Robin blinked. Then something warm and heavy fell on top of him. The hands loosened and air rushed into Robin's lungs and to him it tasted delicious.

Ashly was unconscious! Robin had won the fight!

Something warm dripped onto Robin's nose. An odd smell. Like warm liquid iron. It dripped again. And again. Then more of it fell onto Robin's face.

A siren blared, as it rang in Robin's ears. Then the voice of Ra's Al Ghul rang out.

"My...my…my..." Ra's Al Ghul said in a mocking voice "We weren't expecting that...but I welcome it all the same…It looks like our little guest is going free, while our delightful host is taking a trip to the Lazarus Pit. Don't worry, she will be fine before you know it. As for our guest, well...you win some...you loose some...and you may remove your blindfold"

Robin blinked. Hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't see what he thought he would see. He raised his arms, and removed the blindfold.

Ashly was laying on top of him. Her face frozen in that of eternal shock and pain, that was mixed with her jubilant expression. Robin turned his head to see that on his left hand side was his Bo - staff not much of an arms reach away.

Robin froze. Unable to comprehend what had happened. Then he looked back up at Ashly. And screamed as he saw what had happened to her.

An axe was on her head. Blood and brain matter flooded out of the cut making her hair look red and grey.

Ashly was dead. And Robin had just killed her.

**A/N: I have some news to share, yesterday was my 18th birthday and my graduation, so that's a big deal. Also, holy shit! Robin had just killed someone for the first time, and it is his daughter! How do you think he will handle this? How do you think his friends will handle this? I will update this as soon as I can, and yes, this is just the start of the suffering that the Titans will feel in this apocalyptic future.**


	25. Troubled Thoughts Part 2

Robin sat in the mud, still staring at the dead body of Ashly. Blood still pouring out of her head, infecting his arms, hands, legs, feet, chest and body with the redness.

Robin looked down at his chest and felt his heart leap into his mouth. A plain dagger was impaled in his chest. Blood was seeping out of it, the cold, hard metal turning the inside of his chest into ice and stone.

Robin applied pressure to the dagger wound, he knew it was dangerous to remove the dagger. He had to wait for his friends to arrive and he knew that Raven or even Phoenix would be able to help heal him.

Robin was bawling, tears cascading down his face. His hair and face were flooding with sweat. His eyes were still adjusting to the sudden brightness.

The pain in his eyes, the pain in his chest was nothing, nothing, compared to the emotional pain that he is feeling. His mind was only replying one thing and one thing only.

He had just killed someone.

Not just someone, his own daughter.

He, Robin, Dick Grayson, had just killed someone.

His mind went berserk, going crazy, going in many directions. He looked down at his hands that were stained, coated, covered in blood. Robin wanted to rip them off, to tear them out, never harm another human being ever again!

He looked down at Ashly's body that seemed to be taunting him, making fun of him even in death. It was then when he realised that Ashly had won. There was no other way. If she won he would be used by her like a puppet.

If he won and ended up killing her, he broke his number one rule. Never kill a human being. Never take a human life. Even when looking at the devil in the eye, never compromise, never cross the line, there is always another way.

Something inside Robin told him that even if he had knocked her out, Robin knew that she will still pursue him, and the cycle will still continue.

Either way, Ashly still got what she wanted. Revenge on her father.

He closed his eyes and manoeuvred his arm to whip the tears, sweat and blood from his face.

He looked up and felt himself scream as he saw a figure standing over him.

Himself.

The Other Robin looked extremely distorted, he had a head that was too big, lips that were too fat and too thin, shark-like teeth, an oversized nose, a body that was smaller than his head, arms that were too long, legs that were too short and he was wearing a Robin costume that had an oversized 'R' on it.

"You have survived worse." The Other Robin sneered at Robin

Robin opened his mouth, trying to talk, but all that can come out was a pathetic groan.

"This isn't about your pathetic little cut, your pathetic little cut." The Other Robin said "It's about that girl that you have killed."

Robin stared up at the Other Robin as he walked up to him so that his face was directly in front of him "We never killed a human before had we?" He paused as he made a grotesque smile to rival the Joker "Sure...that incident in Tokyo doesn't really count...nor your bloodthirsty angsty self in that other universe...sure...we killed many demons before, and we have knocked out many goons and all that...this...this was the first human being...real flesh and blood!"

The figure of the Other Robin suddenly shimmered like a rock dropped into a pond, until the form of Tony Zucco replaced him.

"...And your own daughter at that." Tony Zucco said with a malicious smile "...Your own daughter...Your own flesh and blood..."

Robin groaned again as Tony continued "...you say that you will never kill anyone...look at you...pathetic...you can't tell the difference between an axe and your own bo staff! That is so pathetic! So comical!"

The form of Tony lifted his head up into the air and laughed maniacally in the air as his form shimmered again to be replaced by Batman.

Robin stared at Batman, and Batman stared back at Robin. Robin wanted Batman to yell at him, to shout, to attack him but the form of Batman might as well be a statue as all he did was look down at the dead body of Ashly.

"Dad…" Robin cried but Batman didn't respond. All he did was remain perfectly still

"Dad...please…" Robin said again "It...it...it wasn't my fault! I...I...I didn't mean to! It...It...It was an accident! I was...I being strangled...and...and...I thought I got by Bo Staff...and...and...and...It's all my fault...all my fault...all my fault…" Robin wept as he felt himself falling down...down...down...into darkness.

* * *

"Is he going to be alright?" A voice said.

"I don't know." Another voice said "His stab wound was easy to heal and all that. But I can sense something that I can't fix."

"What do you mean!?" Another voice hollered "What do you mean that…"

"I meant!" The previous voice roared "That it is a physiological thing!"

"Oh...sorry" The voice said weakly

Robin opened his eyes. He was lying on a soft surface, wrapped up in thick blankets. He looked up to see all the Titans including Old Man Beast Boy and Phoenix staring at him, sorrow painted in almost all of their faces.

"Wh...Where am I?" Robin cried

"Robin!" Starfire cried as she threw him a rib crushing hug and a neck-snapping kiss which Robin accepted.

"Your in an RV." Old Man Beast Boy said bluntly "We have just left Salt Lake City an hour ago, and Phoenix suggested that we should go to Constantine, and since we have nowhere else to go, I see that we have no other option."

"We saw what happened to you bro." Beast Boy said throwing Robin a hug "We...we can't believe it…"

"Neither do we…" Cyborg and Raven said simultaneously

"...Yeah...I know…" Robin said "I still can;t believe it...I just killed someone...and...and...I...I…" Then he burst into tears "I….I...I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS!" he bellowed as he buried his hands into his face.

"Freind Robin!" Starfire cried "Don't be like that!"

"I just killed someone!" Robin cried "I HAVE JUST KILLED MY OWN DAUGHTER! I...I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!"

"Freind Robin…" Starfire said "...Please calm down...you are going to be alright."

"NO!" Robin cried "NO! NO! I AM NOT OKAY! I HAVE JUST BROKEN MY OWN RULE! I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS!"

"We can help you Friend Robin!" Starfire cried

"NO!" Robin wept "You can't! You don;t understand how it feels! You…"

But Robin was interrupted by Old Man Beast Boy who slapped him in the face immediately silencing Robin.

"Stop your whining and listen to me!" Old Man Beast Boy growled "You think your the only one here who had killed someone that they love!? Well boo hoo! Look at me! I have killed all my friends, so don't tell me how it feels! I already know!"

Robin stared at Old Man Beast Boy and felt immediately awkward, unsure on what to feel. "But the one mistake that you are doing is pushing people away! I didn't have that luxury the night I killed the Titans! But you do!"

"What are you saying?" Robin said

"Just talk to the people that you love!" Old Man Beast Boy cried thrusting his arms into the air as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I can't take back what had happened in the area. What is done is done...I am sorry that you have broken your one rule...I truly am...but we need to move on, and you need to talk to your friends…"

Old Man Beast Boy faced Robin "If you ever want to talk to someone who had accidentally killed someone that they, or should care about. I am always open."

Then he turned and walked away.

Robin looked down at his hands. His mind was utterly blank. He looked up at his friends. Starfire. Cyborg. Raven. Beast Boy. Robin knew that what he had done cannot be fixed, he knew that all too well, and Old Man Beast Boy had made that clear.

"I...I want to talk to Starfire...and Phoenix...alone" Robin said. He didn't know why he wanted to talk to Starfire, but something inside of him told him that Starfire should be the first person that he should talk to, he wasn't sure what Phoenix had to offer, but he needed someone else who is experienced in this future.

"Sure thing buddy." Beast Boy said as he, Raven and Cyborg left Robin and Starfire alone.

"Robin…" Phoenix said sadly looking down at Robin "...How are you feeling?"

"Tired…" Robin said weakly "But my mind is chaotic."

"I can tell" Phoenix said

"It's...It's...It's just...I don't know how to feel…" Robin said

"I know Freind Robin" Starfire said "We saw everything…"

"It was an accident," Phoenix said. "A dreadful accident, but you were only defending yourself"

Robin didn't know what to say. All he can do was hug his legs as he rocked back and forth on his bed. Trying to soothe his chaotic thoughts.

He had broken his number one rule, killed his own daughter and yet...what did he know about her?

Yes, she was insane. Yes, she was cruel. Yet she was doing what she thought was the right thing to do. She was trying to make her area a better place. The only problem was it came at the cost of thousands if not millions of lives.

He didn't know if he did the right thing or the wrong thing and he expressed this to Starfire and Phoenix. Unleashing everything in his mind in one simple sentence.

"Did she deserve to die?"

Both of whom took their time to answer. It was Starfire that answered first.

"Freind Robin." Starfire began "Nobody deserves to die...what you did was an accident and…"

"Starfire." Robin said strunly "You know what she is like. I am asking you, did she deserve to die?"

Starfire paused, Then she looked up at Robin and said "No, Robin. No, she didn't"

"I'm afraid I am going to have to disagree with you Starfire." Phoenix said "She had a noble goal, yes, but her methods are questionable. So yes, she deserved to die. There is no other way now."

He stood up and faced Robin "I am sorry that you had to kill someone and all that. I truly am, but as we have said to you, times have changed, and it is inevitable that something like this will happen, and I am sorry to say that it was you."

He then turned to face Starfire "I don't know how I can help you, but all I can share is this. There is no right or wrong. No black and white. Only grey. You saved your own life. Too bad it came at the cost of someone else's."

He then turned to Starfire "Do take care of him Starfire." He said softly "He doesn't deserve you. But at times of need, you need your friends at your side. Dad lost his. I lost mines. But you still have yours. You need them, and you must accept their help, and you must ask them for it."

Robin looked at Phoenix, then looked at Starfire, then looked at his hands, then back at Phoenix, then back at Starfire, then back at his hands. Then he threw Starfire a tight embrace, feeling her warmth against him. He felt tears fall down from his face as he felt himself falling down into sleep as his exhaustion carried him away.

**A/N: I am not sure if this chapter is good enough but here it is. This is the end of Act 1, which is primarily focusing on Robin and I am now going to Act 2 which is about Starfire, but before that the Titan's will face Evil Cyborg! in the next chapter.**

**Please review and I will update this as soon as I can, thank you!**


	26. On the Road

Starfire looked down at Robin's sleeping body and sighed heavily. Her mind was going in many directions that she had no idea on what to feel about what had happened in the past few hours. She was utterly terrified when she saw Robin, someone she thought would never harm so much as a fly kill someone, yet alone his own daughter.

She knew that Robin needed a lot of help and right now he needed his friends more than ever. She remembered the time in Tokyo a few years back when Robin thought that he had killed someone and it had utterly destroyed him. He was so relieved when he learnt that he had just 'killed' a paper and ink monster and not a real human being, but now this time Robin had actually done it, and now he looked more 'broken' than ever.

Starfire shuddered to think about how this would affect him. Yet, almost all of her friends were going through many crises at the moment. They had only been in this future for almost two days and already almost all of her friends were going through a lot of problems. She had no idea on the state of mind of Beast Boy when he was bombarded with the fact that his older - self has been through so much suffering. She had no idea how Cyborg is dealing with the fact that he has the potential to become a supervillain.

So far, only she and maybe Raven was left 'personally untouched' by this apocalyptic future. Not yet anyway.

She stroked Robin's hair as if it was a cat as she looked around her. True to his word, Ra's Al Ghul had given them an RV, however, he had to keep the rest of the Titans in chains when Phoneix threatened to rip his skeleton out of his body as well as pointing a gun at the unconscious Robin's head to keep them in line.

The RV that they got was modest enough, even though it looked as if it was designed by a drunk, colourblind designer. It had a row of bunk beds, a few seating booths, a modest kitchen, a tiny toilet, too many wide windows and a Radio that was stuck on a classical music radio channel.

Old Man Beast Boy was on the wheel, his face is an enigma, unable to show what he is feeling. Right now they were driving in pure darkness that sends daggers of ice into your spine, the darkness was so dark that not even the strongest lightbulb in world can penetrate it. But Old Man Beast Boy was navigating through it as if the darkness was an old friend of his.

Raven and Beast Boy were confined in one booth talking to each other more with their facial expressions than through words.

Cyborg, Vic the IV and Phoenix were confined in the other booth none of them willing to break the silence that engulfed the RV.

The only sound came from Vic the IV that was repeatedly switching his shields on and off at random patterns and various intermissions.

Starfire looked down at Robin and wrapped her arms and legs around him like a rope. Robin needed his friends now more than ever, and she was trying to do whatever she can to help him and get them out of this apocalypse. But she knew all to well that this adventure isn't going to be like their other adventure's, this is going to be something that will permanently effect each one of them, whether if they want to or not.

"Don't worry Boyfriend Robin." She said in her soothing voice "...I promise that nothing bad will ever happen to you. Friend Old Man Beast Boy will protect you, and we will always be there for you. And I promise that nothing bad will happen to the rest of us."

She placed her head on top of Robins' head, letting his dark hair tickle her chin. She smiled as she saw Robin smile when she did this.

* * *

Beast Boy looked at Raven and sighed. A lot was running through his mind. He can tell that it was happening to everyone. He turned to look at Starfire comforting Robin and made a small smile. If Starfire can 'comfort' Robin, he is the one that can 'comfort' Raven the 'best', namely the Beast and Malicour incident, as well as that little journey in the multiverse that made them team up with their goofy selves for the second time, and their extremely violent selves, which they and their goofy selves both hated, even if they had to work together to stop Trigon, Darkseid and Control Freak teaming up together.

He knew that it was only a matter of time before something bad happens to them and Beast Boy was afraid on who it would be. Finally residing to break the silence between him and Raven, Beast Boy leaned in closer to Raven and muttered the first thing that he can think of "I am still recovering on what I had seen...I mean...I can't believe Robin did that...even if it were an accident…"

"Strange words for you to say." Raven said turning her head to look at Old Man Beast Boy, "Considering what your older - self has done."

"Yeah...I know…" Beast Boy said "But he has been through so much...I admit that I don't approve of his methods in combat, but...as he said...times changed now…"

"...Beast Boy…" Raven said extremely quietly so that only Beast Boy can hear it "...what about Phoenix…"

Beast Boy's eyebrows raised up when she brought their future kid up. He had thought much about him, however, Phoenix wasn't willing to 'open up' much. He then thought about their strange interaction in the shop and how he had reacted when he was about to say Trigon's name. Beast Boy told Raven about this interaction and she looked as if she had been shot in the head when Beast Boy finished.

"...this is just what I feared…" Raven said under her breath

"...what do you mean?" Beast Boy said, but he already knew the answer.

Raven looked at Beast Boy and sighed. "...Beast Boy...imagine if...if this apocalyptic future never happened, and...and we...we had a kid together…" she said, her voice rich in fear

"...yeah…" Beast Boy said slowly

"...Beast Boy...that kid would be a quarter demon...and...they are vulnerable to...to…"

"Trigon...yeah…But Rae...what...what" Beast Boy said, finishing Raven's sentence for her. However, he stalled at the question he wanted to ask.

"...Beast Boy...Imagine what he would do to him?" Raven said grimly "...He has both our powers, and he can turn into mythological creatures, something even you hasn't accomplished yet...by what you told me alone already confirmed this...Beast Boy...Trigon has done something to Phoenix...and I...I..."

Raven stuttered on her words as she tried to control herself. She looked around her as if she had forgotten the word that she wanted to say, but Beast Boy can tell just by the look on Raven's face what she wanted to say.

Raven was afraid. Afraid of what would happen to her, him and their future kids. Beast Boy made a sympathetic face and pulled raven into a hug. Raven didn't push Beast Boy away. She accepted his embrace as if it was her that did it. She was afraid, confused and lost. She just hoped that what she thought was going to happen or had happened would never happen. As long as they had each other, both of them so different and so similar at the same time, everything will be perfect.

* * *

Cyborg looked on at the two couples stone-faced, especially at Beast Boy and Raven.

Being the third wheel after Tokyo was one thing, as Robin and Starfire were acting in a 'lovey dovey' kind of way almost all the time, and he, Beast Boy and Raven was unanimous that they found it annoying or at best, cringeworthy. And now it looked like he is going to be the fifth wheel, with Beast Boy and Raven now becoming a thing. Cyborg didn't know what to think of that. He hadn't had the best luck in love.

He and Bumblebee had a thing, however Bumblebee wasn't ready, nor was she interested in starting a relationship yet. Jinx was a complicated matter, they had gone out once or twice, however that relationship fell apart very quickly, and now she was back with Kid Flash. Cyborg looked down at the baby Vic the IV that was busily doing some impressive stunts with what looked to be a shield made out of both glass and air.

"Very impressive acts isn't it?" Phoenix said who was looking over a giant blue book that he had produced out of thin air

"What?" Cyborg said turning to look at Phoenix "...I...uh...I mean...yes, he is very good!"

"The Cyborgs are made to mature as fast as possible." Phoenix said as if reading from a prepared statement "To my knowledge, our little baby here is around 6 months old, which is the age where they are programmed to be good at combat, but only defensively and not offensively. At a year they gain the ability to speak and at a year and a half they are given an 'upgrade' so that they gain offensive weaponry and at two years of age they become official members of the 'Cyborg Gang' that rules over most of the Western United States."

"How do you know all this?" Cyborg said cocking his head at Phoenix

"You told me." Phoenix said as if recalling an ugly memory "...when I was captured...by your older - self."

"Uhhh...question," Cyborg said as if he just realised something was wrong "Um...how do...do Cyborgs...breed?" he said, his face turning bright pink.

Phoenix's face turned grim as if he had just swallowed something bad "...You don't want to know Cyborg." Phoenix said grimly "Trust me, you don't want to know. All that I can say is this. That baby has 'organic metal' as his skin"

Cyborg nodded, he too didn't want to know the answer. He looked around him as if looking for another topic to talk about, he looked at Beast Boy and Raven that were frozen in their embrace and then at the sleeping Robin and Starfire on the bed.

"I don't think it is a good idea to disturb them." Phoenix said "and if Back to the Future had told me anything I don't think it would be a good idea to interfere with my parent's relationship."

"You've seen Back to the Future?" Cyborg said in a concerned tone

"Yes." Phoenix said as if laughing at a half funny joke "The house of mystery has a large library and it also includes DVD's of almost every movie known to man, and since I have lived there for almost 40 years, I tend to have a lot of free time."

"Really?" Cyborg said "What do you do in your spare time?"

"Well…" Phoenix said slowly as if choosing the next words carefully "I like to train to use my powers…"

"What exactly ARE your powers?" Cyborg asked

"Well…" Phoenix said as if trying to explain something complicated to a child "...I have a combination of both my parent's powers." He said as he shifted into a mongoose "...however I am not good at some parts of my powers…"

"Like what?" Cyborg said

"Well..." Phoenix said as if recalling an embarrassing memory as he shifted back into his normal form "Like if I teleport transporting people...it doesn't end well for them...either they merge into one person...swap bodies...or end up in many pieces..."

"...Okay…" Cyborg said "...uh...what else do you like to do?"

"Well...I like books, movies, TV, video games...And I also like music"

"Really?" Cyborg said "What kind?"

"Classical, Techno and Pop." Phoenix said. Suddenly without warning, he leaned into Cyborg's face and said in a truly demonic tone "But I hate Rock music! Okay!?"

Cyborg blinked rapidly at this sudden change of behaviour, as he watched Phoenix lean back in his seat to look at Cyborg "Sorry." Phoenix said in a sincere tone "It's just that, I had uh… a bad experience with Rock music, okay...shall we change the subject? Please?"

"...alright…" Cyborg said, trying to think of another topic to talk about "...uh...do you know who else survived the attack of the Supervillains?"

Phoenix seemed to pause at this as if what Cyborg said had placed him on a trance. Then he looked up at Cyborg and said "...Well...Excluding mom, dad, you, Robin and Constantine…" Phoenix began as if recalling a distant memory "...Thats all that is left now...There was a few green lanterns, but all of them died a long time ago...I haven't seen Lobo for a very long time...Dr Fate lost to Black Adam and god knows how many demons...And then...there was Jon Kent and Billy Batson...they died over 20 years ago in the crossfire in a fight with Darkseid and...Grandfather…"

"...So all thats left is Me...Old Man Beast Boy...Older Raven and Constantine that's it?" Cyborg said in disbelief

"What were you expecting Cyborg?" Phoenix said in an annoyed voice "The supervillains took over the world, hell they might as well have taken over the universe at this point! So yeah, that's all that is left!"

"Sorry." Cyborg said "It's just hard for us to accept...all of this…"

"I can tell" Phoenix replied as he stared out of the dark wide window.

Cyborg stared at Phoneix then back at Vic the IV that was thrusting his air-glass shield in multiple directions.

He smiled and made a soft applause which made the baby respond with a goofy smile and laugh that was impossible not to smile back at.

"You are my Grandson." Cyborg said "And I will be a better person than I was in this future. I promise."

* * *

Old Man Beast Boy looked out the window and sighed to himself. He wanted to sleep, to rest but he had done nothing to get him tired. He looked behind him to see his younger friends apparently going through their own problems and issues.

He knew what exactly was going on through most of their minds. Robin killing Ashly. He knew how much of a big deal this meant.

"You disgust me,"

Old Man Beast Boy practically jumped out of his skeleton as he saw a figure standing next to him.

It was Nightwing. The bullet wound in his head looking a fresh as ever. The only difference being that he was completely drenched in blood, an axe in one of his hands.

"What do you want Nightwing?" Old Man Beast Boy said in an annoyed, but fatigue voice.

"What have you done to me!?" Nightwing bellowed gesturing at the sleeping Robin "MY YOUNGER SELF HAS JUST KILLED SOMEONE! MY OWN DAUGHTER! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

"...How exactly is this my fault?" Old Man Beast Boy said in a bored voice

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING HIM!" Nightwing screamed thrusting his hand to indicate at each of the Titans "NOW YOU HAVE TAINTED MY YOUNGER SELF! MY NUMBER 1 RULE WHEN I WAS THAT AGE WAS NEVER KILL AND YOU HAVE FAILED TO PROTECT HIM!"

"How can I stop Ashly from doing that?" Old Man Beast Boy said

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM!" Nightwing screetched "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO MAKE SURE THEY DON'T BE LIKE YOU! TO ME LIKE ME! MURDERS! MONSTERS! NO BETTER THAN THE VILLAINS WE FIGHT!"

"SHUT UP!" Old Man Beast Boy howled, slamming on the steering wheel as if it was a punching bag "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

The moment Old Man Beat Boy started to yell the figure of Nightwing he instantly vanished into the air as if he was made out of dust. Old Man Beast Boy turned awkwardly from his seat to see that all the Titans were staring at him as if he had two heads.

"Sorry..." Old Man Beast Boy said gruffly. "...I...uh...had a hallucination…"

None of the Titans said anything so Old Man Beast Boy turned his attention back to driving, trying to soothe his thoughts down, but he might as well tried to teach a fish how to climb a tree. His thoughts were going in many directions, all of them repeating the same thing. _'You have failed to protect them', 'You have failed to protect them', 'You have failed to protect them'._

He felt tears fall from his eyes and dissolve into his face as he manoeuvred the RV deeper and deeper into darkness.

The radio suddenly fizzed as if the person in the radio station decided to switch playing a piece by Beethoven to the sound made when acid reacts to metal. Old Man Beast Boy lifted his hand to fiddle with the dial, but before his hand came into contact with the nob a voice blared from the speakers, a voice that Old Man Beast Boy hoped never to hear again.

"Well...well...well" The voice of Old Man Cyborg sneered with a laugh to rival the Joker.

The words seemed to have an effect on each, and every person on the RV. Robin immediately woke up as if arising from a nightmare, Starfire looked as if she was watching a terrifying scene in a horror movie, Raven looked as if all the air has been sucked out of her, Beast Boy looked as if his bones has been turned into stone, Phoenix looked as if he had been punched in the face, Vic the IV now resembled a scarred jelly-like metal ball and Cyborg...Cyborg looked as he had watched someone he cared about die in front of him.

"You thought that I was dead?" Old Man Cyborg gloated "Thought you have destroyed me? No. Garfield Logan. No, you have not..."

**A/N: Ok, I may have lied a bit from the previous chapter saying that this is the chapter that they face off Old Man Cyborg, but I am in a wee bit of a writers' block. But I promise to you that the next chapter we get to see Old Man Cyborg fight the Titans!**

**Also, did you get my little hidden joke/reference to TTG and Titans (2018).**

**Random throw away comment: I dislike TTG, however that show is for kids, so that can get away with it. I HATE Titans (2018) as it was a giant wasted potential and it made the same mistakes DC had with their live-action movies from Man of Steel to Justice Leauge, and I find the idea of the two extremes teaming up with the OG series to be a good idea, however, I may not be the person for the job, yet.**

**Anyway I will be writing the next chapter ASAP, however, I have a busy week ahead and I hope to see you soon!**


	27. The Weak Die

Old Man Beast Boy slammed down hard on the brakes so violently that everyone was thrown forward, crashing down onto the hard, sticky floor. This didn't really affect the Titans as they immediately got up and ran towards the front of the RV to gather around the radio, Cyborg, in particular, looked the most anxious, as this was the first time he actually gets to hear the voice of his older - self and he didn't like what he heard.

Old Man Beast Boy stared at the radio in front of him as if it was a gun pointing at his head as he heard the voice of the older Cyborg continue to speak.

"You may be wondering...how the hell am I still alive!?" Old Man Cyborg's voice said mockingly "...Well… let's just say that I have my methods of constantly upgrading myself…"

"Your dead!" Old Man Beast Boy growled, "I killed you!"

"Well…" The voice continued as if he predicted what he had heard "...I killed you, and you turned out fine."

"YOU KILLED MY WIFE! YOU KILLED MY DAUGHTERS! YOU KILLED MY SONS!" Old Man Beast Boy screamed into the air as if expecting to see the Older Cyborg standing in front of him.

There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of the engine of the RV and the soft howls of the wind outside.

Nobody dared to break it as if it would be a death sentence to do so.

There was a long pause.

Then the window to the side of Old Man Beast Boy exploded as if hit by a cannon. The Titans only had enough time to see a large metallic thing grab Old Man Beast Boy by the throat and threw him out of the hole like a rag doll.

"Titans Go!" Robin screamed as he and the rest of the Titans practically flew out of the door and was confronted by a sight that they would never forget even beyond death itself. All the Titans stared at the sight, frozen to the ground as if they had been turned into stone.

The first thing that they saw in the dim light was Old Man Beast Boy in mid-air, looking as if he was about to shoot fire out of his eyes. His face looked at if it had been hit by a truck, blood was pouring everywhere, which only made his pure rage and anger more pronounced. His body was shaking as if each bone and muscle wanted to go in multiple directions at once, and he was making the most animal, inhuman, beast-like sounds ever that was completely incomprehensible unless if they had the rare gift of understanding or turning into animals

Then Cyborg's xenon flashlight hit the thing that was holding Old Man Beast Boy up. The first thing that the Titans thought they were looking at was a metal statue, as the thing that they were staring at was at least twice the size of any ordinary man, as well as having what looked like a metallic skin that was over polished. One of its oversized hands had a chokehold around Old Man Beast Boy's neck, while it raised its free arm to point its hand to Old Man Beast Boy's face. Then something strange happened in front of the Titans as it saw the arm shimmer as if it was made of water so that it turned into what resembled a cannon that was pointed right at Old Man Beast Boy's face.

"And...you...have...murdered...mine!" The thing rasped at Old Man Beast Boy's face, spitting out each word as if it was poison "and...for...that...you...will...pay!"

"NO!" Cyborg cried as he fired a blast from his sonic cannon at the thing's chest. But just as Cyborg fired, a giant hole suddenly emerged in the thing's body, so that the blast effortlessly passed through the hole like a beanbag going through a hoop in a carnival game.

Then the thing turned its oversized head to face the Titans, and that was when they realised something else about the thing that they were staring out. The first thing they noticed was that it had no face, instead, it had a completely flat metallic surface, with two inferno holes that served as its eyes, that stared down at one's own soul. The next thing that the Titans noticed was that the thing's skin wasn't made of plain metal, it looked like multiple metallic scales that were each individually tiny and placed extremely close together. The Titans immediately knew what they were staring at. Older Cyborg.

**(A/N: just imagine the Sentinels from the X Men Days of Future Past movie on steroids)**

Older Cyborg cocked its head as if fascinated by what he saw, then threw his head back and unleashed a hysterical laugh.

"OH...MY...GOODNESS!" Older Cyborg laughed as he looked from Old Man Beast Boy to the Titans as if it was something he found deeply amusing "OH...MY...GOD!" The Older Cyborg laughed jubilantly "I thought Ra's and Ashly were pulling on my leg when they told me what had happened, and yet, here you are! The Titans from the past!" The Older Cyborg laughed sounding like an overentusatic salesman displaying the things that he is selling. He then turned his head to face the squirming Old Man Beast Boy

"Oh, Gar, we have gotten so old have we?" Older Cyborg said in a mocking tone, imitating an old man.

"Let...him...go!" Phoenix roared at Older Cyborg in a attempt to be brave, but his face told another story

"No." Older Cyborg said cruelly "No I don't think I will,"

Older Cyborg seemed to gather himself as if trying to make up his mind on something. Then he wordlessly changed his arm cannon into a dart gun that fired a tranquilizer at Old Man Beast Boy's face.

Old Man Beast Boy squirmed and struggled, but moments later he was passed out as if in a deep sleep. Older Cyborg slammed Old Man Beast Boy down onto the ground as if he was disgusted by it and walked up to the petrified Titans, his arms outstretched as if greeting them to a dinner party.

"Why are you doing this!?" Cyborg cried, his face in disbelief as if he can't believe what he is seeing.

"Ahhh…" Older Cyborg said looking down at his younger - self as if reliving a wonderful memory "Younger me...how wonderful, brave and naive I was...blind to the potential that I had."

"What do you mean?" Cyborg said in a horrified, confused tone as if finding it hard to comprehend what he is hearing.

"What do I mean?" Older Cyborg said in a discombobulated tone as if he thought the answer was obvious, as he gestured around him at some invincible thing. "Little me, in these 4 decades, I have learnt 2 important things. 2 things that I live by, 2 important things that you should live by, because if you don't, well, I shudder to think of it! I have done something that no other person can do! Something that can't be accomplished by any normal man! I am immortal! The attack of the supervillains showed me that! Superman is the most powerful superhero in the universe! But his fight with Luthor and Darkseid showed that even they can take him down! The same applies to Wonder Woman, Batman, Martian Manhunter and the rest! They all get old, or they all get killed by their weakness and they die! But not me! I, we, are Cyborgs! Half man, and half machine, I learn that I can use the machine part, to save my mind, to make a new body, so that I can live on forever! And there is something else that I have learnt, when I was a slave to Cheetah! The weak die!"

He said the last three words as if he was a religious fanatic reading from the scripture "I saw those who are old, those who are lazy and unfit die at the hands of Cheetah and her followers, I learnt that the world is now back to the stone ages, where people have to fend for themselves, where it is a dog eat dog world. I learnt the only way to survive is to constantly upgrade myself, make myself stronger, make myself more powerful, make myself and my children, to take Cheetah down! And I took her place, I made sure that those who cannot fend for themselves, those who are weak and incompitant, those who can't even do so much as make their rent die! That is what I want to say to you little me, I look at my younger years in embarrassment, because I was too naive and stupid to not realise my full potential, to make myself powerful and immortal! My humanside was a weakness, an embarrassment. Now..." Older Cyborg said gesturing at himself "Now, in this form, I am strong and powerful. Even though you may not know it now, but you will be. It is our destiny to rule over others for all time! It is our destiny to be powerful! It is our destiny to be the best! This is your future! You either die weak, or live on, strong and immortal! Because if you don't, who will be strong and immortal?"

Cyborg stared at his older - self, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Your mad!" He holled "Your insane! I know what happened to you! Your anger and fear combined with the radiation from the motherbox messed up with your head! Your not thinking straight, your not even human!?"

"So what?" Older Cyborg said lazily as if he expected this reaction "As I said, you are weak and naive, and you reject the truth of power and might!"

"What makes you any better than Cheetah!?" Cyborg hollered

"Because I treat everybody the same! Unlike, her" Older Cyborg said, wiping his head around to look at the paralized Old Man Beast Boy, his voice turning into poison when talking about his predecessor "...who has preferential treatment!"

Old Man Beast Boy let out a groan as if he hadn't had enough sleep "Really, Vic?" Old Man Beast Boy said weakly in a tired tone "You are really bringing THAT up!? That incident of all things!?"

"YES! I! AM!" Older Cyborg snapped "But, I am not talking to you, no, this is between me, and my naive weak little self, so shut up!"

"I AM NOT WEAK!" Cyborg screamed, finally snapping "I AM NOT NAIVE!" and he let out a rapid fire of his sonic cannon straight at his older - self, which mildly stunned the towering Cyborg.

Older Cyborg looked down at his metal body that was completely undamaged, then looked up at the Titans. "I wasn't going to do this…" Older Cyborg said weakly "...but very well...En Garde!"

"Titans Go!" Robin cried, as he and the rest of the Titans saw this as their opportunity to strike.

Phoenix was the first to strike, shifting into his phoenix form, he kamikaze himself towards the juggernaut figure of Older Cyborg letting out a hail of giant blue fireballs from thin air. Starfire, following Phoenix's lead, unleashed her Starbolts at the juggernaut. The fireballs and Starbolts all hit Older Cyborg at once in a furious bombardment, at first it looked as if it had an effect, but Older Cyborg looked as unfazed as if the bombardment was a mildly annoying fly that was circling around his head. With one swift move of his arm, he backhanded the phoenix that was attempting to make a dive, instantly knocking him out. Starfire cried out, as she attempted to save Phoenix only to be met with a blast from a sonic cannon revolver that sent her through the air like a rag doll.

"STARFIRE!" Robin cried at his girlfriend as he unleashed a bombardment of batarangs at the metal giant that all exploded around him. Older Cyborg stumbled back as if he was in minor pain, then threw a Spartan kick at Robin instantly sending him flying backwards vanishing into the dark.

Beast Boy shifted into his rhino form and charged full speed at Older Cyborg. Older Cyborg was instantly struck by Beast Boy's rhino and was sent flying back with Beast Boy, clutching onto his rhino horn in an almost comedic manner. Beast Boy smiled as this seemed to have an effect, Older Cyborg looked at Beast Boy's face and cocked his head. Beast Boy blinked. And stared up in horror as the form of what used to be Older Cyborg was replaced with what resembled a metallic King Kong. Older Cyborg let out a laugh as he grabbed Beast Boy in his hand as if he was a fly, and as if he was throwing the hammer in the olympics, tossed Beast Boy, still in his rhino form away into the darkness.

Raven let out a cry as she unleashed giant mystical ropes out of thin air that immediately wrapped around Older Cyborg, sending him down onto the ground kneeling. Older Cyborg let out a laugh as his face began to change. His face changed into a wide hole that might as well open to the bowls of hell as a jet of fire was unleashed right into Raven. Raven barley had enough time to react as the piller of flames struck her down, instantly knocking her out, and releasing the Older Cyborg free.

Older Cyborg let out a maniacal laugh as he looked down at his younger - self that was firing all his weaponry at him that was as effective as a paperclip to a gunfight. He walked lazily up to his younger - self, looking down at him with his head cocked to one side, making a fake yawn as he did so.

"Oh, my poor, poor, younger self." He said "I just took down all your friends in one swoop, and you think that you can stop me!?"

With one hand he picked up his younger - self and examined him like how a collector would look at a piece of art, looking for signs of a forgery.

"...I am not going to kill you." Older Cyborg said "But lets just say that the suffering of your friends has only begun! You cannot stop me! You cannot stop our future! And nobody can stand in our way of our destiny to rule over others!"


	28. Fall of Cyborg Part 1

**A/N: In this chapter, and several of the chapters after that, we will see what made Cyborg fall from a hero, to an anti - hero to a full blown villain.**

**Somewhere in California, 2030, 5 years after The Fall of the Heroes**

5 years. 5 long, bitter, and terrible years have passed. The entire world is broken, destroyed, ruled over by all the supervillains. Luthor, Black Adam, Ra's Al Ghul, Reverse-Flash, to name a few. With each area being either a terrible place to live in or worse, neither of which are appealing due to the people who are in power. People, of course, had attempted to resist the supervillains rule, which didn't end well. In one particular incident, Darkseid was personally involved in dealing with a mass riot led by Commissioner Gordon in Metropolis when he was making a deal with Lex Luthor. In less than 6 months the entire world was under their control. And those who step out of line faces the consequences.

The entire West coast was dominated by Cheetah, who wanted it for some godforsaken reason. And since she was personally involved with the fall of the superheroes as well as killing almost all of the Amazons with Ares, she was granted it.

Cheetah was only in power for less than a fortnight, when someone had attempted to assassinate her. She was relaxing in the conservatory in one of her new homes; a mansion that used to belong to Bruce Wayne, when suddenly a giant metal man had kamikaze himself through the glass windows screaming bloody murder, firing a laser gun rapidly around him that it hit everything but Cheetah. Cheetah was momentarily taken aback, only having enough time to realise that she is confronting one of the MIA Superheroes, Victor Stone. He would have successfully killed Cheetah right there and then, had it not been for the fact that Poison Ivy decided to make a surprise visit, that Victor had was surrounded by giant plants and the fact that he had severely underestimated Cheetah's strength and speed that the fight was over before it even began, leaving Cyborg with giant claw marks all over his body and him wrapped up in thick vines like some Christmas gift.

Cyborg was almost immediately thrown into one of Cheetah's work camps, where he was the only inmate, that was placed in the middle of nowhere, which he is still working in now even 5 years later.

Time had been cruel to Cyborg. He looked considerably thinner, his arms seemed to be made of stone, his legs were made of jelly, his muscles looked as if it wanted to jump out of his body as a sign of resignation and his skin looked as if they were falling apart. All his cyborg parts have been taken away and replaced with prosthetic limbs so that he won't have 'any funny ideas'. They were as strong as his previous ones, however with none of the 'coolness'.

Everyday Cyborg would wake up from his quarters, that was nothing but a boulder near a tiny canyon, with the sun vaporizing his face. He would then be forced to do all sorts of labours from digging in the mines to extracting anything from minerals to gold, however most of the time he would do hard, and pointless tasks such as breaking rocks up into gravel. This was all done in the vaporising heat of the desert, from morning until night. If he wasn't working up to standards, he was beaten, whipped, stoned and left to starve by the guard of this hell camp.

The only food that Cyborg was fed was nothing but vegetables and meat ground up into a paste, and he only received it once a day.

Cyborg had quietly fallen into the routine of it that he can't think of anything else as he was so exhausted by the time he had fallen asleep, that he had no time to think about anything else. At least Cheetah had the decency to install solar panels to recharge him, as well as allowing a few days off a year. to show that she is not a complete savage, however, the days off was done mainly recuperating.

* * *

One day, like every other day, Cyborg woke up with the sun vaporizing his face, to see a faceless guard standing in front of him holding a pile of tools.

"Wake up you lazy piece of metal junk!" The guard spat as he threw the tools at Cyborg that crushed his chest "I want you to work down in the mines today! Mine number 12! Get up and dig at the south-west tunnel! I want it done today! Now get to it!" Then to pointlessly hammer it in, threw an armada of boulders at Cyborg's head.

Cyborg got up immediately, ignoring the pain that was ringing through his head and made his way towards mine number 12 as fast as his legs can carry him. He practically flew down the dark, dry, maze-like passageway that felt like walking into an oven than anything else. The moment he collided with the wall he was hammering down at the end of the wall furiously with a pickaxe. Next to him was another guard that decided to whip him on the back with a lava-like whip, throw an armada of rocks at Cyborg's body that threatened to go straight through, which they did on multiple occasions, as well as throw a bombardment of insults at him, however, Cyborg had mostly ignored him, and he is used to the pain. Anyway, Cyborg had long ago found a new coping mechanism. Whenever he threw his pickaxe at the hard wall, he thought of all the people that have wronged him in the past and imagined doing it to them.

**SMASH!**

Cyborg smiled at the image of seeing Brother Bloods face explode

**CRACK!**

Cyborg relished seeing Poison Ivy explode in front of him

**CRUNCH!**

Cyborg laughed to see the image of Cheetah's body as a bloody pulp at his feet

Again and again, this continued as he hammered at the wall while getting taunted at by the guards, carrying the boulders into carts, sorting out the rocks from the minerals and so on. Cyborg was used to it.

But that doesn't mean he still felt the pain, both physical and emotional. He still felt the pain of his wounds that he got daily, the sleepless nights at his first week here. He still remembered the sight in Titan's tower where he found Nightwing clutching the body of Starfire, and how they found that Scarcrow had used Beast Boy to kill the Titans will forever be in his mind. He tried to suppress the tears. He can only focus on the present.

Time flew on and on until the entire sky was pure black when he was allowed to go to bed. Cyborg was just about to throw himself on his 'bed' when one of the stonefaced guards was waiting for him looking as if he was about to throw up.

"Metal man…" The guard said looking up and down Cyborg as if he was disgusted by what he saw, "I have a message here, for you, from Madam Cheetah." As he passed a fancy looking letter at Cyborg "Madam Cheetah expects to see you tomorrow night," He continued bluntly "So tomorrow morning you will be going to Madam Cheetah's home in Jump City."

Then he turned back and vanished into thin air. Cyborg looked down at the envelope as if it disgusted him to even hold it, and yet instinctively he opened it carefully as if he was handling a bomb. He looked inside to see a letter.

_My Dear Cyborg,_

The letter read, printed in the sort of font that he would expect to see in a fancy restaurant.

_I am celebrating my birthday tomorrow and I want you to be one of my guests to come to my party since you have worked so hard in these 5 years. I hope that you have no hard feelings for me, and I am hopeful that you will have a wonderful time. I apologise for my harsh treatment of you, and I hope that this would make it up slightly. I decided that the venue should be at your own HQ, Titans Tower, just for you and my other guest._

_Thank you for your work, and there is no need to give me a present._

_Cheetah._

Cyborg felt lava boiling inside of him. Cheetah expects him to go to her birthday party, celebrate her birthday and expect him to 'forget' everything that has happened in the last 5 years!? And as if to add insult to injury she was celebrating it in the place where he used to call home, and at the place where his friends and family died in!? She had the nerve to think that he can forgive her!?

Cyborg was about to rip the invitation up to shreds when he saw the photograph that was attached to the letter. Looking at it he felt a surge of emotions. The photograph showed Cheetah lying down in a provocative way on a bed of red silk looking like a supermodel and an actress with her smug grin, fur that had not a speck of dust on it and a long tail that looked to be inviting you in. But next to her, looking thoroughly out of place, was Beast Boy, or rather a male, green-furred Cheetah. Beast Boy looked as if posing for this photo was the most humiliating thing that ever happened to him by the look of overly restrained anger on his face. The only thing that he was wearing was a giant metal collar, which implied numerous things to Cyborg.

Cyborg's mind was bombarded with thoughts. What the hell is Cheetah doing inviting him to her birthday dinner? Why is Beast Boy with her? What will she be doing to him when he arrives at Jump City? And what has happened to Beast Boy?

Cyborg made a small face when he remembered the time, back in the glory days when Beast Boy along with a number of other superheroes were captured and used by supervillainesses. Cyborg had to rescue Beast Boy from Cheetah who used him for various things for a fortnight and it looked like Cheetah still claimed him as her 'property'.

Looking at the photo now Cyborg can see that something in his former best friends eyes that something bad has happened to him. Cyborg has heard rumors that Beast Boy, not long after he was tricked by Scarecrow to kill the Titans, refused to use his powers ever again and to never harm another person, which Cyborg found to be ridiculous, however if he took what has happened to him into account, be can't blame him. Plus if the rumors were true, it looked as if he had no say in the matter on the use of his powers, judging by the look on Cheetahs and Beast Boys face.

Sleep was a difficult thing for Cyborg to do, his mind flooded with thoughts, but before he knew it, his exhaustion caught up with him as he fell into the peaceful slumber of sleep. Unaware that the party with Cheetah is one of the big events that will make him to be one of the most ruthless supervillains to rule the world.

**A/N: In the next chapter we will go back to the present back to the Titans facing off Older Cyborg as well as two surprising savours, one of whom has a history with Starfire. Then in the chapter after that we go back into the past to see Cyborg's fall from hero to villain.**

**As always, please Read and Review, thank you for your support!**


	29. Rescue

Cyborg looked up at his older - self in fear as he continued to examine him as if he was some kind of priceless gem. He was at least 10 or 15 feet up in the sky and he has no idea what to do. His mind was completely blank, all he can do was stare at his older - self.

All around him his all his friends can do was watch as the giant figure of the older Cyborg remind still as a statue, still examing his younger - self as if it was a prized possession. It was as if his presence seems to cast the Titans down frozen as if cast by a spell. That is except for Phoenix dashed to his paralyzed father that can't do more than move his hands and mouth as he struggled to attempt to make a strike on his former friend.

"Dad." He said in a hushed voice "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Old Man Beast Boy said weakly, as he looked up at his son "I can't move or do anything."

"It's a good thing that they are here." Phoenix said, keeling down as he looked up and down his father's body as if looking for an atom as he gestured at the Titans "otherwise you would have been a goner"

"Yes, yes" Old Man Beast Boy said through gritted teeth "But right now can we focus on the giant tin man please?"

Phoenix looked up, unsure on what to do. Without really thinking about it, he produced a giant ball of fire in his hand and threw it straight at Older Cyborg. Older Cyborg immediately batted the fireball away like a fly as he seemed to come back to his senses.

"Oh yeah..." Older Cyborg said as he looked down at the Titans. Immediately his form rippled, like a stone dropped in water until he was slightly taller than his younger - self "I almost forgot about you." as he wrapped Cyborg closer to him as if daring them to attack. Cyborg felt disgusted being close to his older - self as if he was infecting him with some kind of disease, he tried to pull back however he would have had better luck trying to teach a fish how to climb a tree as it felt as if his older - self had managed to fuse himself with him.

Robin raised a bunch of batarangs all of them aimed at Older Cyborg, Starfire charged up her starbolts, Raven and Phoenix looked halfway through a complicated spell and Beast Boy had tunrned into a dinosaur ready to charge. Older Cyborg only shook his head and made a tisk tisk noise.

"Really?" he said in a mocking voice as if he couldn't believe what he is seeing "If you attack me...:" He said bringing Cyborg closer to him as if they were lovers in an embrace "...you risk hurting your friend..."

All the Titans froze as if the realised that they were in a loose - loose scenario. Starfire spoke up first shouting out "What do you want?"

Older Cyborg chuckled as he turned his head to look at Starfire greedily "Oh...Starfire" he said in a strange tone "I always missed you and your naivety…Very well! I will tell you what my demands are..."

But Older Cyborg didn't have the time to finish his sentence as he was immediately stuck by some invincible force, that sent him crashing down to the ground sending a giant storm of sand flying through the air.

The Titans all turned to stare at the figure standing in front of them. Vic the IV was holding a giant glass air shield out of his robotic arm, his face both extremely jubilant and infuriated at the same time, as he both glared and smiled at his Grandfather.

Older Cyborg looked up at his grandson and immediately his tone changed "...Vic…?" He croaked as if unable to believe what he is seeing, he loosed his grip on Cyborg, as if he was made of jelly.

The Titans immediately seised this opportunity to attack. Everything happened so fast that it was over seconds after it began. Cyborg whipped around and fired his cannons at full blast straight at his older - self's face, Robin unleashed a swarm of batterangs at the metal giant, Starfire unleashed a storm of starbolts, Beast Boy charged at the metal giant, who was struggling to get up, and rammed him down as he was sent flying through the air, with the help of Vic the IV's shield. Older Cyborg flew through the air, and he was immediately caught by mystical ropes that sent him crashing directly down back to earth with a dreadful sound.

The Titans froze, blinking rapidly as they stared at the figure of Older Cyborg in the distance. All of them turned their heads at one another, talking more with their facial expressions than with words. All of them were thinking the same thing 'What the hell is going on?'.

There was a long pause. Not a sound can be heard in the dark.

"Pathetic."

All the Titans practically jumped out of their skeletons as they saw the Older Cyborg walking up to them as if the beating that he had just received was just a tiny paper cut. His arms shimmered to form giant cannons aimed straight at the Titans as if daring them to make a move.

"Now." Older Cyborg said in a business-like manner "In a few minutes a jet will arrive here, and you will get on it."

"Where are you taking us?" Cyborg spat

"Oh...nowhere in particular." Older Cyborg said calmly.

"Well, we are not going anywhere!" Starfire cried as her hands looked as if they were about to explode.

Cyborg made a hysterical laugh as if Starfire had just said a funny joke. "Oh Starfire...little me…" he said "I am pointing a cannon at you, so unless if you like to join the rest of the dead heroes, so be it. What other choice do you have?"

"What do you want?" Cyborg whimpered

Older Cyborg paused as if trying to think of a good answer, then he turned his head at the baby Cyborg that seemed to be casting some kind of invincible shield as it looked as if the Older Cyborg seemed to be unable to approach his grandson.

"For you..." Older Cyborg said thrusting his cannon arms forward "...I can't say...yet...however, as for those two." He indicated at the paralysed Old Man Beast Boy and Phoenix "I want my revenge! You killed my sons! You killed my daughters! You killed my grandsons! And you killed my granddaughter!" Older Cyborg roared "You failed to protect me and my wife from Cheetah! And for that, you will pay!"

"Then why haven't you killed me yet?" Old Man Beast Boy said in a bored voice

"Because I want you to suffer as long as possible!" Older Cyborg rasped "I want you to got through so much pain. To be through so much unbelievable pain, that you will beg for the comfort of death!"

There was a long pause. All the Titans were unable to move a muscle. Too afraid on what Older Cyborg would do if they so much as sneezed.

Older Cyborg turned his head up to the sky and pointed at something approaching them "And here is our ride" he said jubilantly as he pointed at an approaching jet plane that looked to belong to any CEO of any medium company.

There was a small pause as the jet approached. Then it suddenly stopped as if caught in midair by some invincible force, then it plummeted straight down, exploding in a giant fireball. ]

"What the?" Cyborg cried as he scanned the skys as if looking for an out of place atom. "Show yourselves!?" He screamed as he fired rapidly into the air as if hoping to hit something.

The suddenly a voice spoke up.

"Give them to me."

It was a smooth, slick voice that can belong to any second-hand car salesman. Starfire turned around to stare at a teenage boy that was looking straight at her, the same way one would greet a distant relative of theirs.

The teenage boy had orange skin, and hair that looked to be made of rocks. He had muscles that were both over and underdeveloped at the same time, had limbs that were too short for his body, a body that was lighter than air and a head the size of a boulder. He was wearing a clothes that looked almost exactly like the clothes that Starfire was wearing, save for the colour schemes as his was significantly darker compared to Starfire.

Older Cyborg immediately threw his hands into the air as if in surrender. The teenage boy looked up at Older Cyborg as if he was something that he found stuck on his shoe after leaving a public toilet.

"Leave us. Now." The teenage boy said through gritted teeth.

Older Cyborg turned to look at the Titans "This. Isn't. Over." He growled, as if determined to infect all the Titans with his words as he shot himself up into the air and vanished.

The teenage boy sighed as if he wanted to get all the air out of his lungs, then he turned to look at Starfire who was still staring at him as if he was a ghost.

" _Hello, Aunt Starfire,"_ The boy said in perfect Tamarian _"You are safe now. Come along, I have a few questions for you.'_

**A/N: OK I admit that was not my best work, but I want to release my chapters as much as possible. I admit that I am in a wee bit of a writers block for this part, however the rest of the story I have mapped out in my mind, so I think the rest of the chapters would be in a better quality**


	30. The Green Cheetah

**Somewhere in California, 2030**

Garfield Logan wasn't happy. He felt the rage boil up in him like boiling lava about to explode, however, he knew all too well that displeasing his new 'mistress' would have unpleasant consequences.

The room that he was in was fit for a king. It had an oversized bed, too many doors, too many windows that looked out to the picturesque view of the ocean, a chandelier the size of a truck, and on the opposite side of the room, a giant painting of Cheetah looking as grand as ever as she stood on top of the corpse of Wonder Woman and countless other Amazons. It made Garfeild feel sick just by looking at it.

He looked down at his body as if he was repulsed by what he saw. He looked as if he was halfway through turning into a cheetah when somehow the process somehow failed leaving him stuck in a weird form that left him unable to turn back into a human. Around his neck was a giant metal collar that practically choked him if he were to lower his head. That collar had been forced upon him by some giant of a man who practically dragged him to this new state of life which he found to be highly annoying and irritating. But he had no choice in the matter, and he had to play along and see how it goes.

He had had the dream again. He had seen the figures of all his dead friends taunt him, cry at him, yell at him. He seen his friends, the people he called family, and Raven...Garfield closed his eyes and tried not to think about it. Tear flooded down his face as he remembered how Raven died in his arms. How he killed all of his freinds.

Raven. Starfire. Jason Todd. Aqualad. Blue Beetle. Damian. All of them dead.

He closed his eyes, trying to forget about it. The past was the past. He had to keep moving forward. Beast Boy was dead. He is just Garfield Logan, and he had to try and move on and adapt to these dark times. The world has changed and he has to change with it.

Something large, warm and soft fell on top of him. Garfield closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he felt something or rather someone lean in close to him.

Garfield's increased sences detected expensive perfume and shampoo as well as several other smells that were unidentifiable that made Garfield feel deeply uncomfortable.

"Good morning my little boy!" A highly exaggerated voice said.

Garfield sighed as he groaned back "Hello Cheetah."

Garfield opened his eyes to see Cheetah, his mistress and her boytoy, looking back at him. She is practically nose to nose with each other. She was looking at Garfield the same way a mother would look at their baby when they did something cute.

"So?" Cheetah said in a poison honey like voice, now laying down on top of Garfield as if he was some kind of body pillow "How was your night my little boy?"

"Not well" Garfield growled tiredly, looking at anything but Cheetah

"Oh dear." Cheetah said in false sympathy as she shook Garfield's head as if it was a ball. "That's too bad. I had a wonderful nights sleep, considering what today is."

"Really?" Garfield said closing his eyes, trying to calm himself down "what is so special about today?" He said in a bored voice.

Cheetah frowned as if he said the wrong answer. She produced a small remote out of thin air and pressed a small button.

ZAP!

Garfield screamed as he felt his collar let out a short electrical zap. It felt as if his blood has turned into acid as he felt his body shake as if they had been turned into mush.

He looked back at Cheetah that was shaking her head tisk tisking as she did so. She looked like a mother telling off her toddler child who had made a mess in the kitchen.

"My my." Cheetah said disapprovingly "I thought that you should know. Today is my birthday!"

"Oh." Garfield said bluntly "Happy Birthday." He said, forcing himself to sound happy.

"Thank you!" Cheetah said as if satisfied with his answer, as she wrapped her arms and legs around him as if he was some kind of oversized stuffed toy.

"Do you want me to sing you happy birthday and give you a present?" Garfield said through gritted teeth

"Well I don't expect you to." Cheetah said with a sly smirk "I dislike the song, and you have no possessions of value, even before I found you last mouth...well...there is something..."

Garfield sighed as if trying to control himself from saying anything that might upset Cheetah

"Let me guess... I am the present?" Garfield sighed choosing his words carefully "Do you want me to give you cubs that will be your heir?"

Cheetah cocked her head, as if taken aback on what she is hearing.

"...Perhaps…" she said as if carefully considering what is suggested. She stroked Garfield's fur and wrapped her tail against his as if making some kind of cruel joke.

Then her face changed as if she was beginning to have second thoughts "...But I am not quite ready for that..." She said talking more to herself than anyone else "But maybe I would…maybe I would"

Suddenly, she threw herself off Garfield's body, did a somersault in the air and landed in front of Garfields bed "Come on" She said "It's time for breakfast."

30 minutes later…

The dinning room looked like the inside of any fancy restaurant.

The walls were wodden with mirrors that were fuzzy. It had too many grand chandeliers that glowed every colour in the world like some sort of fancy disco ball. The air was damp and cold, as if it wanted to either drown or frezze someone to death. An unlit fireplace, big enough to vaporize a cruise ship sat in the middle of the room as if expecting to be lit.

The painting on the walls were all painted by people who read the stock exchange for laughs or colour blind sociopaths.

There was only 3 pieces of furniture in the room. The first was a plain long wooden table, and the other were two wooden chairs that resembled thrones, both of which were engraved with cheetahs.

Cheetah herself was licking herself as if imitating the cat she was, the oversized plate in front of her looked as if something had died on it. Garfield tried not to look at her as he looked down at his simple breakfast of fruit, tofu eggs and cereal.

"Tonight we are going to Jump City" Cheetah said suddenly as if making the announcements at an airport.

Garfield blinked rapidly. He stared down at his plate as if trying to find a pattern on it.

Jump City. The place where it all happened. Garfield closed his eyes, trying to surpress the memory.

"Why?" He said trying to force himself to continue with the conversation

"It's where I am having my birthday dinner party." Cheetah said with a smile. Then she suddenly cocked her head as she looked at Garfield as if his answer was wrong.

"Is something wrong my little boy?" She said in an ambiguous voice. Garfield closed his eyes, refusing to answer.

"Remember that time we had together 6 or 7 years ago?" Cheetah said as if reminiscing a happy memory. "All those fun we had together?"

"You and I remember that time very differently." Garfield growled "You made me do a bank heist"

"Yes, yes." Cheetah said, waving her hand as if it can change his perspective on that incident. "But why the long face...oh yeah!" Cheetah said as if she remembered something "I remember, about you and the Titans" she said with a sly smile, as she raised the remote up as if to warn Garfield not to do anything stupid "That's too bad. Too bad indeed."

Garfield closed his eyes and tried to restrain himself from attacking Cheetah.

He stroked his fur and tail as if trying to find something to clutch onto to stop himself from lashing out. He will never harm another person again. He will never kill someone ever again. Even if Cheetah makes him her prisoner until death, he will never hurt anyone ever again.

"Okay…" Garfield said in an overly restrained voice "what are you planning to do there?"

"Oh... nothing much." Cheetah said in a playful tone "you and me are just going to have a nice dinner with a special guest that I think you would like to see."

"Really." Garfield said bluntly "who?"

"Oh, he's a freind of yours" Cheetah said cheerfully "a big metal freind in fact"

Garfield's eyebrows raised as he realized what she is talking about "Cyborg?" He squaked, he hadn't seen his best friend for nearly 5 years and for so long he assumed that he was dead like most of the other heroes, and now Cheetah had revealed that he is somehow still alive. Garfield had no idea what to think about that. He had no idea at all.

"Yes!" Cheetah said with a goofy grin "I think he is okay, and I think that I should gift you with a little reunion."

Garfield blinked rapidly as his mind went in multiple directions. What was Cheetah playing at? Why is she doing all of this? What is her endgame?

Whatever it is Garfield didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

"Come along my little boy" Cheetah said, sounding like a giddy cat as she got out of her throne chair, "I want to play some games with you in the training room, and then we shall prepare for our dinner tonight"


	31. Breezefire (Short)

Starfire stared at the boy hovering in front of her, and the boy stared back. Not a sound was made in that long moment of silence. Nobody even dared to make a sound. Then Starfire let out a hysterical laugh as she flew up and practically crushed the boys chest as she embraced him with a hug.

"I HAVE A NEPHEW!" Starfire cried as the boy squirmed in her arms.

"Actually, I'm actually your niece's son to be more precise." The boy said with a strange tone as he tried to release himself from his Great Aunt's grip as he struggled to breathe. Starfire now realising that she is practically smothering her grand - nephew. She smiled at him and the boy smiled back. "My name is Breezefire." Breezefire said as he made wild gestures with his hands that seemed to control the very air around them.

"BREEZEFIRE!" Starfire said as she then spat out a flurry of incomprehensible words that only Starfire and Breezefire seemed to understand.

The rest of the Titans stood around watching this as if they were intruding on something they shouldn't be apart of. Their minds were suffering from whiplash as one moment, Older Cyborg was narrowly close to killing them all, and then seconds later Starfire's Grand Nephew had saved their lives. This was so much to take in. All the Titans could do was stand around and watch as they waited for permission to speak.

Starfire suddenly whipped round to face the Titans, a wide grin on her face. "My Great Nephew is happy to help us!" Starfire said, her voice rich with energy "He is inviting us to stay at the place he calls 'The Oasis'! He can let us stay there for as long as we want!"

All the Titans looked at one another, and they didn't need to come to an agreement. They were tired, fatigued and someone who had just saved their lives had offered such a thing. What other alternative do they have?

Breezefire looked down at all the Titans beaming at them the same way everyone's favourite uncle, who performs magic tricks at birthday parties and teaches kids how to build tree houses, would look at their family. Then he made a twirling

Then his face focused onto Phoenix and his look of jubilation was somehow augmented ten fold as he let out a laugh that sounded like Father Christmas. "Phoenix my old friend!" Breezefire exclaimed as he thrusted his arms into the air as if he had fireworks coming out of them.

Phoenix looked up at Breezefire and his face turned cold as if he had raw sewage force fed down his throat. Breezefire seemed to be oblivious to this as he flew gracefully towards Phoenix as if he was made out of air. "How is my fiery friend doing? It's been so long!"

Phoenix paused, as if he had lost the ability to speak. All he could do was glare at Breezefire as if he wanted to rip his skeleton out of his body. Breezefire cocked his head and looked at Phoenix as if trying to decipher him as if he was some kind of interesting riddle. Then he took a deep breath, as if trying to suck all the air out from the world, and exhaled slowly.

"Phoenix…" Breezefire said slowly as if talking to a child that just had a meltdown "...are you still mad at me?"

Phoenix didn't say anything, he seemed more interested in looking at the night sky that was smothered with clouds. Then slowly turning his head to face Breezefire, he lifted his hand into the air and sky wrote with blue fire three words 'yes and no'.

Breezefire looked at it and nodded as if it was an acceptable answer. He turned to face Phoenix again, but he put up a hand and a face that warned not to take another step forward.

"Don't take another step, Airbrain" Phoenix growled.

Breezefire stepped back as if Phoenix was a bomb, but his face looked as if his soul was getting ripped out of his body.

The other Titans watch on intrigued, Phoenix and Breezefire clearly knew each other, but something has happened between each other to make them not on good terms with one another. The Titans, Robin in particular, didn't like what they were seeing and they all knew that something dreadful had happened in Phoenix's past, just like Old Man Beast Boy and Older Cyborg. Suddenly, the Titans felt more and more tense than they ever had in their life, as more and more of this dreadful apocalyptic future is unravelled in front of them like some sort of grotesque birthday present getting slowly unwrapped in front of them.

There was another long pause. Then it was broken by Breezefire. "So!" Breezefire said, making a deafening clap, "Shall we get onto my ship?"

**A/N: I know this isn't much but I have been busy lately and I don't like not updating on a nearly weekly bases. Anyway in the next chapter we will see more into the mind of Old Man Beast Boy and later we will see more on the past of Older Cyborg and eventually Phoenix.**


	32. Nightmares Part 2 - Robin

_Black. That was all Robin can see. A magnificent, brilliant deep dark black that smothers you down to your very soul. Robin felt his spine get stabbed by daggers made of ice as he felt himself falling, falling, falling._

_The solid air whipped his face. It felt as if all his skin was getting ripped out by the very air itself. Robin wanted to scream, to shout, to open his mouth, but it felt as if it had been sewn shut. As a matter of fact, he wasn't sure if he even had a mouth. All he knew was that he was falling, falling, falling._

_He landed on the ground as gently as a rock falling down to the ground. Robin felt as if all his internal organs had been forced out of his mouth as he struggled to get up to his feet. The ground felt like oily, slick mud which smelled like the excrement of vomit. The blackness seemed to be pressing itself down upon Robin. Not pressing, crushing. As it forced itself down upon Robin._

_Robin's eyes struggled to see what was in front of him. He lifted a foot and tried to walk, but it was like trying to walk through glass. Robin thrusted his hand forward trying to see if anything was in the way. His arm moved slowly as if the air had turned into water around his arm as if slowly went around him._

_Robin felt nothing blocking his way, as if he was trapped here by some invisible force. Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the darkness until he saw that he was in the middle of what resembled a maze, with tunnels, bridges, catwalks and passageways, all of them going in so many directions that it was impossible for the human mind to comprehend._

_That was when he heard it. A voice. A voice that belonged in the bowels of hell. A voice that ripped Robin's soul from his body._

" _Father…"_

_Robin felt his heart leap out of his throat as he whipped round to see a figure in a long corridor approaching him. Even though the figure was shrouded in darkness, Robin knew who it was. Ashly. All Robin could do was stare at the figure as it slowly approached him, taunting him as time slowed down._

" _...You killed me Dick Grayson..." The voice of Ashly said as if reading from a prepared statement in a funeral. "...You killed me Father…"_

_Robin finally found the air in his mouth as he struggled to let out one word "...No!" Robin cried as he felt his entire body turn to stone. His mind seemed to have jammed. He can't think, can't comprehend anything. All he can do was watch it all happen._

" _...Yes…" The voice of Ashly said as if hearing the fear and pain in Robin's voice brought her pure pleasure. "...You killed me...you are a killer Dick Grayson...the one thing you swore not to be…"_

_Robin struggled to move or do anything as he watched Ashly walk slowly to him. It was then when he saw that there was something on her head. Robin tried to close his eyes but it felt as if his eyelids had been ripped off. All he can do was stare at the axe that was lodged in her head. Blood was pouring out of it like some sort of waterfall._

" _...You broke your number one rule...never kill…" The figure spoke again as if speaking random words at once. Now the axe was more clearer. The blood red stained axe gleamed like a gem to Robin as if personally insulting him. Robin felt his throat turn inside out as he tried to say something, anything to get Ashly to stop._

" _All I wanted was to make my area a better place!" Ashly wept as she approached Robin closer and closer "All I wanted was to make it free from crime! Thats all I wanted to do! And you ruined it!"_

" _No!" Robin cried as he stared on at Ashly that was now polishing her Robin suit with her blood stained hand._

" _Thats what we do...We are Robins! Sidekick to the Bat...we help stop crime…and that is what I am doing..."_

" _NO!" Robin hollered as he struggled to move away from Ashly, away from all of this madness. "NO!"_

" _All I wanted to do was make my city a better place…" Ashly repeated again as if the very words inflicted torture towards Robin. Infect him, hurt him, harm him._

_Robin struggled. It was as if he was bound up by invincible ropes. He closed his eyes as Ashly lowered her face towards his. Blood oozed down from her face and brain gucks popped out from her head like champagne corks. They fell onto Robin's skin, as he flinched as the blood and gucks fell onto his skin that spreading out slowly, infecting him, tainting him, poisoning him._

_Robin tried to speak, tried to say something, but it felt as if his throat had turned inside out. He opened his eyes as if they were forced open as he saw Ashly do a dance around him repeating the same words over and over again like if she was singing some kind of crude nursery rhyme.._

" _You killed me! You killed me! You killed me!" Again and again she sung this going around and around Robin, singing merrily as Robin felt himself plunge down, down, down, into darkness_


	33. Flight to the Oasis

Old Man Beast Boy looked around him as if everything around him had mildly offended him, but he didn't want to appear to be rude.

Breezefire's ship looked exactly like the Titan's ship, as if he had personally kept it after the fall of the heroes, save for the fact that it had more seats available. Perhaps it was this that made Old Man Beast Boy feel so grumpy, seeing something that made him feel so nostalgic being used by someone he barley knew. But he knew that couldn't be it as he was feeling slightly grumpy even before he laid eyes on Breezefire.

Looking around him, he saw Breezefire operating the controls of the ship while Cyborg and Vic the IV looked on as if they were watching a highly intensive sports game. Nearby Robin was completely passed out, however judging by his facial expression it looked as if his dreams was being disturbed. Next to him Starfire was looking out of the dark window as if expecting to see something interesting out of there, and when Old Man Beast Boy turned his head around, he saw Raven and his younger - self lost in an inaudible conversation while Phoenix looked on as if unsure on what to say or what to do.

Old Man Beast Boy closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Trying not to think about his past. Trying not to think about what Scarecrow did to him, tried to forget that ugly time when Cheetah used him as her toy, tried to suppress the image of his dead family.

"It's time to end it don't you think?" A horrible voice cried.

Old Man Beast Boy opened his eyes to stare at the body of Starfire. But this Starfire was different to the other Starfire that was sitting mere feet away. The first difference was that this Starfire was significantly older, with longer hair, a different suit, larger breasts and limbs that were too long. The second difference was more concerning. This other Starfire was stained, covered in blood, as if she had an accident in a slaughter house, and her throat was completely ripped out leaving a grotesque hole in her neck revealing all of her organs that seemed to be determined to exit out of this hole.

Old Man Beast Boy looked down onto the ground and sighed. "What do you want?" He said in a completely defeated voice. He had had these visions for too long, and for too long he hasn't had them, until now.

"What are you doing!?" The bloody Starfire screeched like a banshee "What have you done to us!?"

"What are you talking about?" Old Man Beast Boy said coldly as he looked at everything but the bloody Starfire

.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR YOUNGER SELVES!" The bloody Starfire screeched "First it is you! What is your younger - self thinking about you!? He is going to think that you are a monster!"

Old Man Beast Boy said nothing. No words left his mouth. But his face gave it away. He knew all too well what his younger - self thought of him. He was a completely different person. A mere shadow of his former self. Broken beyond the state of repair. But he had to tell himself that this wasn't his fault. None of this was his fault. But he was afraid on what his younger - self would do now that he is seeing a glimpse of his future.

The bloody Starfire cocked her head as if unsure on what to make of Old Man Beast Boy's response. But she pressed on.

"Cyborg!" She squealed "What is he going to think about his older - self!?"

Old Man Beast Boy remained silent. His mouth refused to budge. But he knew all too well that this adventure is going to be particularly bad towards Cyborg. Hell, how would anyone react towards the fact that their older - self had become the exact opposite of what they were? He was afraid of what Cyborg was going though, and yet he was trying to act as if nothing had happened, but he can tell that he was shaken to his very core on what he had witnessed. Old Man Beast Boy had to talk to him, to give him advice, but he wasn't sure if it would be the right sort of advice.

"And now look at what you have done to Robin!" The Bloody Starfire screeched "HE KILLED SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME!"

Old Man Beast Boy sealed his lips. He wanted to shout, to scream, to explode, but he knew that it won't do any good at all. He only remained silent as he scavingly watched the bloody Starfire continue "He broke his number one rule! NEVER KILL!" The Bloody Starfire squawked "NOW HE WILL BE TAINTED BY THIS! HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THIS WON'T AFFECT US!? YOU HAVE FAILED 3 OUT OF 5 OF US! AND THERE IS A COUNT DOWN ON YOUNGER ME AND RAVEN GETTING AFFECTED AS WELL!"

"SHUT UP!" Old Man Beast Boy screamed finally reaching his breaking point "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

The moment the bloody Starfire vanished is when the real Starfire immediately flew up towards Old Man Beast Boy and threw him a giant hug as if she knew what was going on in his head.

Old Man Beast Boy was surprised by the gesture, but the hug seemed to soothe him down as if her heat warmed up his very soul, cleansing it of all worries, fears and anger.

"Friend Old Man Beast Boy?" Starfire said "Is something the matter?"

Old Man Beast Boy sighed as he tried to compose his mind.

"Starfire…" Old Man Beast Boy said "...I am afraid…"

"Of what?"

"On what will happen to you."

"What do you mean Friend Old Man Beast Boy?"

"On how this future will affect all of you…"

"Friend Old Man Beast Boy?" Starfire said in confusion

"I mean...little me sees me as a killer...I don't know what is going on in Cyborgs head...and then there is Robin...and what he did to Ashly…"

There was a long pause. Broken only by the sounds of the air outside as if all sound knew that this is a bad moment to make a sound as Starfire looked at Old Man Beast Boy in pure sadness.

"You know Star…" Old Man Beast Boy said weakly "...You were the first person I ever killed...the night when the supervillains took over the world…" Old Man Beast Boy paused as if trying to pull himself together "...For years...I was taunted by visions of all the people I killed...of all the Titans...Jason Todd the Red X...Damian...Kid Flash...Jinx...Aqualad...Speedy...Jerico...All of them…" Old Man Beast Boy paused as he tried to continue on with his sentence "...and the two that I got the most...was you...and Raven...the first person I ever killed...and the person that I cared about the most..." Old Man Beast Boy tried to control his emotions, but he was failing to do so as tears fell down from his face.

Starfire knew what Old Man Beast Boy was going to say next "You know that Robin is going through the same thing you are?" She said as she threw Old Man Beast Boy a rib crushing hug.

Old Man Beast Boy nodded as he tried to continue "I am afraid on what will happen to you…" He wept "...I am afraid on what will happen to all of you...this future...this place...it doesn't treat people well...and already you are going to be contaminated by it…" He said as he shook as if his bones had been turned into jelly "...Starfire...I am afraid that you are going to be next…"

Starfire was about to say something when Breezefire cried out "We are here!" He cried out as if he had just won the lottery "We are here! At the Oasis!"

Little did anyone know, their stay in the Oasis will throw them into a plot that will change the Titans and the world forever.


	34. Titans Tower

**Jump City, California, 2030**

Titans Tower looked the same as the night Beast Boy had killed the Titans, save for the fact that all the corpses had been cleared away. In fact, everything there from the furniture to all the decorations there are the same, as if the fall of the heroes never happened and none of the Titans were dead and the entire world is a safe place. But the view out of the window that showed Jump City that looked as if it had been through a nuclear war brought Cyborg back to reality.

He was sitting, or rather tied up on a chair, in what used to be the common area for the Titans. He looked around the room, memories and nostalgia overflowing his mind. He remembered everything the Titans had been through. There was the book that Malichour came from, there was the mask that used to belong to Slade, there was the crown that used to belong to Killer Moth, and there was the cloak that used to belong to Brother Blood.

However there was only one thing that was different in Titans Tower. The giant painting of the proud looking Cheetah on one wall that was added there purely out of spite. Cyborg scowled at the painting in pure rage, he looked at the smug smile, the perfect fur and the sneaky eyes. His face looked as if it was about to shoot fire out of his eyes, and incinerate that painting down to ashes.

He was looking at the painting with so much ferocity that he didn't realise that someone was standing right behind him.

"Hey Cyborg…" the voice said

Cyborg practically leapt out of his skeleton as he turned around to see a green cheetah standing in front of him. For a nanosecond he thought that it was Cheetah and he was about to unleash a fury of insults at her, then he saw that this Cheetah had completely green fur, had a giant metal collar around its neck and was male. He instantly knew who he was looking at Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy!" Cyborg cried and Garfeild made a weak attempt at a smile and threw his old friend a weak attempt at hug.

"Hey Cy." Garfeild said weakly as if unsure on what to say after all these years "and...it's...it's Garfeild...How's it been?"

"Oh, nothing much." Cyborg said, his voice rich with sarcasm "I have just been a slave in a mine for 5 years. What about you I see? The enemy's husband I presume?"

Garfeild scowled at this, Cyborg was talking the way he would talk to Beast Boy. But that person is dead. Broken. Nothing. He was Garfeild Logan, and he had to do whatever it takes to survive. "No. No, Cy. I am not Cheetah's husband. In fact I have only been with her for a couple of months. Even if I do, I wouldn't like it. But what choice do I have?" He pointed at his collar as he spoke "She already forced me to look in her image already."

"Oh. I see." Cyborg said, his voice and tone completely ambiguous. "So...What have you been doing all this time while people like me are suffering!?"

"Trying to survive." Garfeild said bluntly only looking at Cy, who was looking at anything but Garfeild.

"Where were you?" Cyborg growled softly.

"What do you mean?" Garfeild groaned, knowing what was about to happen.

"METROPOLIS!" Cyborg suddenly exploded, all his range, anger and pain was suddenly unleashed as he spat out everything that has happened in the last 5 years "WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE HEROES FELL!? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN DARKSEID ATTACKED GOTHAM!? WHERE WERE YOU IN THE BATTLE OF VEGAS!? WHY HADN'T YOU MADE ANY ATTEMPTS TO SAVE THE WORLD!? WHY IS CHEETAH STILL ALIVE!? WHY HADN'T YOU DONE ANYTHING IN THE LAST 5 YEARS!? I TRIED TO KILL CHEETAH AND I WAS THROWN INTO A PRISON WORK CAMP! BUT YOU, YOU WERE COMFORTABLY LIVING IN HER POCKET WHILE SHE AND SO MANY OTHER SUPERVILLAINS CAUSE CHAOS ALL AROUND THE WORLD! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU!"

The words seemed to have a paralyzing effect on Garfield. He seemed to have been turned into a statue. To anyone else it would look as if he was lost in deep thought. But Garfield wasn't in fact he wasn't even paying attention to anything at all that was going around him.

* * *

_He was standing in the lobby of Titans Tower._

_Darkness surrounded the hall._

_Engulfed it._

_Merged with it._

_Became one with it._

_It was impossible to tell which way was up, which way was down, which way was left, which way was right. Time was toying with Garfield._

_Space was speaking in enigmas._

_The walls were too close together, and yet too far apart._

_The floor was splattered with red._

_And all the dead bodies of the Titans surround him._

_All of them decimated._

_Their faces distorted._

_The air felt like ice. Icicles seemed to stab at his spine. His skin felt as if they had turned into stone, and his bones felt as if they had turned into water._

_Something caught his eyes. A body moved_

_Starfire._

_Her body rose up from the ground like a puppet, her body moving pathetically like a sock in the wind. Her head slumped down as if she had no neck. Then head head raised up as if done by a tug of a string and it revealed her face and head. Still dripping, oozing with blood. Her arms hung uselessly like a rag doll. Her throat still releasing a waterfall of blood. She looked up at_ _Garfield_ _, her eyes glowing orange, her face showing nothing but pure rage._

" _You murdered me!" She sobbed, as she raised an arm to point at_ _Garfield_ _._

" _No!"_ _Garfield_ _howled, but when he looked down, he was that he wasn't human anymore, but a large green wolf. He looked down at his paws and gasped as he saw that they were covered in blood. He tried to shift back. 'Human' he thought. But nothing came. All that he can be was the Wolf._

_He looked down at his fangs and stared in horror to see that they were stained in blood. Starfire's blood. He felt his stomach turn inside out and gagged and felt something regurgitate from his mouth as out came a sickly bloody red and pink tube._

_Garfield_ _stared at it and he knew what he was looking at. Starfire's throat._

" _YOU RIPPED MY THROAT OUT!" Starfire sobbed as she began to hover around_ _Garfield_ _like some grotesque diagram of the solar system. "YOU ARE NOT A FRIEND OF MINE!"_

" _NO!"_ _Garfield_ _howled._

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_ " _You ripped my throat out!"_

" _NO!"_ _Garfield_ _cried "IT WASN'T ME…IT WAS…"_

_Then two more bodies shot up into the air like grotesque puppets. Jason Todd, the Red X. Damian Wayne, the Robin._

_Jason Todd had a giant hole in his chest as if it had been ripped open. His intestines were coming out in a grotesque manner, trailing on the floor like a bloody piece of rope, and he looked at_ _Garfield_ _as if unsure on what he is looking at._

_Next to him, Damian Wayne hovered. But something was wrong about him. He didn't look fully intact. Then_ _Garfield_ _noticed that he had been ripped in two and put back together by some invisible force, however whoever did such a job didn't do it properly as there was still a massive gap between the left and right side, that exposed all of his internal organs._

" _You slaughtered us!" The two former Robins screamed, as_ _Garfield_ _looked down upon himself to see that he had changed into a lion, his paws, his teeth, his brilliant green fur were stained, tainted by red._

" _NO!"_ _Garfield_ _roared, covering his hands in his paws. "NO! NO! NO!" as he saw the two Robins join the small crowd that circled around him. "I didn't! It was Scarecrow! I didn't know it was you! It wasn't me!"_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robins screamed as they joined the crowd that was now circling around_ _Garfield_ _like vultures._

_Garfield tried to grab one of them, but he could have tried to catch mist in his paws as they went straight through his paws._

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _SHUT UP!"_ _Garfield_ _roared, but his cries fell on deaf ears as he saw the three giant pools of blood boil rapidly to produce the form of Kid Flash and the Mexican Twins that resembled nothing but bloody, pulpy accordions. A giant mass of a bloody bag of skin._

" _You squashed us!" They bellowed angrily as they looked up at_ _Garfield_ _that changed into a giant elephant that had three giant bloody stains on its bottom._

" _NO!"_ _Garfield_ _bawled. "I was blinded in rage, I thought you were dead!?"_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed as they joined the party that orbited around_ _Garfield_ _._

" _GO AWAY!" Garfield Beast Boy wept "GO AWAY!"_

_He tried to run, but the floor, the very air and space itself seemed to be working against_ _Garfield_

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The three speedsters bellowed_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed._

" _LEAVE ME ALONE!" Garfield bawled._

_More dead bodies flew up into the air as a swarm of faces looked down on_ _Garfield_ _. All of them were on fire. Green fire. All of them no longer human, but a burnt-out shell._ _Garfield_ _felt the indescribable power of the phoenix burn up inside him, fulling him with power, but something was keeping it back, as if some invisible force was holding it back._

" _You vaporized us!" A chorus of voices hollered_

" _NO! NO!"_ _Garfield_ _screeched as he tried to fly up, but again, the force pressed him down, as if forbidding him to move so much as a nanometre. "I'm sorry okay!?"_

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The Titans hollered back as they joined the crowd that surrounded_ _Garfield_

" _Please! Leave me in peace!"_ _Garfield_ _screeched as he tried to cover his eyes, to try and ignore them, but it made no difference whatsoever._

" _You murdered me!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You slaughtered us!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You squashed us!" The three speedsters bellowed_

" _You vaporized us!" The Titans hollered_

" _You ripped my throat out!" Starfire sobbed_

" _You should have known you idiot!" The two Robin's screamed_

" _You are nothing but a wild animal!" The three speedsters bellowed._

" _You don't deserve to be sorry!" The Titans hollered_

_There was a long pause._

_A deadly long pause._

_Garfield_ _looked down. He was normal again. He looked up. Everyone was gone. He is alone. He turned his head around. And gasped._

_Raven._

_Raven was looking at him mournfully. She looked completely normal as if nothing had happened to her._ _Garfield ran towards her, this time all the forces was in his favour as he ran towards the silent Raven._

" _Raven?" Garfield said running to her "Raven are you alright?"_

" _Beat Boy…" Raven said sadly, as if in pain "...Logan…"_

" _Raven?" Garfield said. Then he stared at Raven. She was quite literally ripped to shreds. Blood was all over the place. She had no legs. Her left arm looked as if it had been through a shredder, and her right arm resembled nothing more than a meaty pulp._

" _NO!" Garfield cried as he tried to cover up the wounds._

" _Beast Boy…" Raven said looking at Garfield the same way she would look at something that mildly annoyed her_

_Garfield looked down at himself. And screamed._

_He was the beast. An uncontrollable beast. A bloodthirsty monster._

" _NO...NO...NO!" Garfield cried as he saw Raven extend a hand to put it on his face_

" _I love you…" Raven wept, as she died on the floor._

* * *

"BEAST BOY!?" Cyborg cried, as Garfield was suddenly brought back into reality. "ANSWER ME!"

Garfield scowled, suffering from whiplash from his hallucination. Then the words came out of his mouth before he realised it.

"STARFIRE!" He roared "RED X! DAMIAN! KID FLASH! MAS Y MENOS! SPEEDY! JINX! AQUALAD! BLUE BEETLE! RAVEN! I KILLED THEM ALL! SCARECROW MADE ME KILL THEM ALL! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO FIGHT WHEN I HAVE NOTHING TO FIGHT FOR!"

Cyborg stared shocked at Garfield's behaviour "I HAVE NOTHING TO FIGHT FOR! NOTHING LEFT!" Garfield continued "IT IS FOOLISH TO FIGHT BACK! THEY WON! WE'VE LOST! AND WE HAVE TO ACCEPT IT! HOW CAN WE FIGHT BACK!? I WANT TO LIVE! TO ADAPT! THAT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING! TRYING TO SURVIVE! AND I DON'T LIKE BEING CHEETAH'S TOY, BUT WHAT OTHER ALTERNATIVE DO I HAVE!? I AM SORRY THAT YOU ARE A SLAVE, BUT THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO! ALL I CAN DO IS SURVIVE!"

There was a deadly long pause. Broken only by a ticking of a clock as the two former friends both looked at each other, their face giving nothing away.

"I'm sorry." Cyborg said sadly,

There was another long pause. Then Garfield sighed and said.

"And I'm sorry too."

Garfield threw his best friend another hug, and this time it was more scencire. More serious. More real as if this was all they needed after 5 years of suffering, as the two best friends were finally reunited after all this time, both of them oblivious to the fact that one of them will kill the other in over 30 years time.


	35. The Hug

Starfire looked out of the window to gaze in awe at the sight that was displayed in front of her. At first she thought that she was looking at what appeared to be a giant asteroid that was about to crash down onto Earth. Then she realised that the large asteroid seemed to be hovering in mid air. Starfire saw a large collection of giant stalactites, or was it stalagmites (she forgot the difference) the size of skyscrapers which were scattered around the top of the asteroid.

But, as the ship flew closer to the floating asteroid, Starfire began to see that the stalactites/stalagmites weren't really stalactites/stalagmites, but rather stalactites/stalagmites that had been converted into large towers, mansions and other buildings.

The city on top of the asteroid was beyond comprehension, as the ship flew in closer and closer as more details began to reveal itself. A giant park that contained an infinite amount of trees was placed right in the middle of the asteroid. What looked to be a monorail, with tracks made out of rocks and carriages made out of air, zig - zagged around the top of the asteroid.

"Welcome to the Oasis." Breezefire said, his voice overflowing with pride, as he maneuvered the jet to the very south east part of the asteroid where a mansion was placed with a large empty field at the back.

"Wow!" Starfire cried as she looked in awe at the mansion in front of her.

The mansion was, like the rest of the building made out of rock. It looked like something out of a 19th century Europearn novel fused with a castle from a fairy tale. It had archways, giant windows, towers, and even an annex that also looked like some kind of chapel. Everything was carved out, as if by hand by hundreds, if not thousands of labourers, right down to the gargoyles and carved out decorations on the exterior walls decorated with animals from dragons, beasts, mermaids and phoenixes.

"Let me show you to your rooms" Breezefire said gleefully as he opened the door of the jet to guide the Titans into his home.

"Don't worry! You will be safe here! I promise to you that!"

**1 hour later…**

Robin woke up with a gasp, his lungs feeling like they were about to explode. Blinking rapidly he looked around him to see that he is now in a completely different place.

The room that he was in could have belong to the least favourite child to a king. The bed he was in wasn't comfortable, nor was it as hard as a rock. The dank, blank walls that surrounded him seemed to belong in a cave, as it was extremely dark and just by looking at them, Robin felt daggers of ice stab at his spine. There was very little furniture in the room. A desk that belong to the henchmen of a James Bond villain was places on the far end of the room and a wardrobe that wasn't big enough to be fancy, nor too small enough to be seen as cheap was placed on the other side of the room. There was only one window and one door in this room, that had nothing special to say about it.

"Robin?" A voice cried.

Robin cried out in shock and threw his batteraing at where he thought the voice was. Fortunately he aimed it wrong, as Starfire caught the battering the same way a destructive kid would catch a fly.

"Oh...Star...it's you…" Robin panted. He was still recovering from what he had seen in the dream, from what he had heard, from what he felt. The words that Ashly's ghost said sunk into his very soul, the image of the axe buried in Ashly's head was burned into the back of Robin's eyelids, it shook Robin to his very core. He was afraid, traumatised, and broken.

"Starfire…" Robin said as if lost for words, unsure on what to say or what to do. "I...I…" But the words seemed to have jammed in Robin's throat, as if he had forgotten every word in the English language.

Starfire nodded as if she expected this. "Friend Robin…" Starfire said as if unsure on what letters to use "...I know that you are…'broken'...we all are...Friend Beast Boy and Friend Cyborg...they are just as afraid as you are..." But Robin wasn't listening to Starfire. In fact Starfire could have been talking to a brick wall. When Starfire realised that Robin wasn't listening to her she said in an overly restrained voice "Robin? Are you okay?"

"No" Robin spat in the most UnRobinist voice, he was surprised as Starfire to hear this kind of voice come out of his lips. "Starfire, I want to be alone...please!" Robin spat out, only realising what he is saying the moment it left his lips.

Starfire was taken aback, but she pulled herself together. Her boyfriend Robin is in pain and she is going to help him weather if he liked it or not.

"Robin." She said in a firm, but soft voice "...do you want to talk about it?"

There was a long pause. Broken only by the unseen clock that was ticking in the background. "...Star...Robin said, his voice filled with fear. "...Its just that...I can't belive all of this is our future…"

"I know." Starfire said "I have seen two bad futures so far in my life...this is the worst…"

"You and me are dead" Robin said "...Cyborg a villain...Beast Boy a killer...and I don't want to imagine what happened to Raven."

"I know." Starfire said

"I killed my daughter Star." Robin said "and we have only been here for 24 hours, maybe 48. It's just that...I am afraid...on what will happen next."

Starfire threw Robin a rib crushing hug and flew up in the air. She knew he liked this embrace whenever he is feeling particularly down, and she was going to help him get back on his feet, "Don't worry friend Robin. My nephew will keep us safe. I am sure of it! I promise that nothing bad will happen to you, to friend Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, Old Man Beast Boy and Phoenix! I promise that everything will be alright!"

Starfire didn't know that in 24 hours time, she would have done something that will forever haunt her until her dying days.


	36. Not A Chapter: The Fall of the Heroes

Since I am on a wee bit of writer's block, here is a list on how all the heroes that weren't in Titans Tower died on the fall of the heroes.

I am going to be making more of these things for lore/worldbuilding purposes:

 **Superman:** Disemboweled and stabbed by Lex Luthor

 **Batman:** Gassed by Joker Venom then gunned down by the Joker

 **Wonder Woman** : Killed by Darkseid, Ares and Cheetah

 **Hal Jordan** : Arms cut off and pushed into a black hole by Sinestro

 **Guy Gardener** : Killed by an army of yellow lanterns

 **John Stewert:** Got his hand crushed by Dr Polaris, and then stabbed by Atrocitus + entire Red lanterns

 **Kyle Rayner** : Killed by Darkseid

 **The Flash** : Limbs ripped off by Reverse Flash, and got beaten to death by it

 **Aquaman:** Limbs ripped off by Ocean Master and then shoved in between two tectonic plates and was crushed

 **Martian Manhunter:** Vaporized by Zod

 **Supergirl:** Decapitated by Luthor

 **Tim Drake:** Gunned down by the Penguin

 **Wonder Girl** : Ripped apart by Cheetah

 **Plastic Man:** Frozen and shattered by Mr Freeze

 **Batwoman:** Spine ripped out by Bane

 **Miss Martian:** Head blown off by Zod

 **Aqualad:** Shot by Deathstroke

 **Hawk:** Smothered to death in his sleep by Two Face

 **Dove:** Beaten to death by Harley Quinn

 **Green Arrow:** Shot by Ra's Al Ghul

 **Black Canary:** Head ripped off by Bizzaro

 **The Atom:** Eaten by one of Poison Ivy's plants

 **Dr Fate:** Vaporized by Trigon

 **Hawkman:** Blown up by Deathstroke

 **Hawkgirl:** Wings ripped off, then ripped apart by Black Adam

 **Superboy (Conner):** Shot by Kryptonite bullets by Lex Luthor

 **Static Shock:** Blown up by Black Adam

 **Zatanna:** Killed by Trigon

 **Everyone else that I may have missed:** Darkseid

**Only survivors:**

Beast Boy

Raven

Constantine

Cyborg

Nightwing

Bumble Bee

**(Spoiler)**

Billy Batson **(died later)**

Jon Kent **(died later)**


	37. Past and Future

Old Man Beast Boy looked around his room in disgust as if he had something foul under his nose, but at the same time he was watching something highly amusing. His eyes were narrowed down into slits and his mouth looked as if it was drawn by a thick pencil.

The room that he was in looked like something he would expect to see in a fairy tale. With a row of beds fit for a prince, too many doors, a large window that looked out onto absolutely nothing, and an alcove, which contained a bookcase that contained all the books in the world and a chandelier that was made of all the gems in the universe.

Next to him, Phoenix stood looking like a complete enigma. His facial expression gave nothing away, but something inside of him told him that Phoenix was hiding something.

"So?" Phoenix said, clapping his hands. "Now that we have time to settle down, I think we should brainstorm some ideas!"

"On what?" Old Man Beast Boy grunted

"On trying to find a way to get them back to the past of course!" Phoenix said waving his arms wildly in the air

"Okay then!" Old Man Beast Boy said in a high pitched voice, oozing with sarcasm "What ideas do you have?"

Phoenix paused, his face completely blank "Booster Gold is out..." He said under his breath

"It would be impossible for all of us to gain access to the speed force." Old Man Beast Boy added

"I doubt the Luthors would let us gain access to the time machines…" Phoenix mumbled as his face fell

"Actually, Nightwing destroyed them in a fight 15 years ago." Old Man Beast Boy said

Phoenix let out a sigh "I don't know if it is possible to use magic either" He said

"Okay then." Old Man Beast Boy said throwing his arms into the air "It looks like they are stuck here in the past then."

"No…" Phoenix said, "We can't just leave them here!"

"Phoenix." Old Man Beast Boy said in an overly restrained voice "How can they change the future? Our present?"

"What do you mean?" Phoenix said in a discombobulated voice

"What I mean is this..." Old Man Beast Boy said gruffly "...We all know that Luthor, Cheetah, Darkseid, Zod, etc...they have been planning the attack of the heroes for years!"

"Yes..." Phoenix said, knowing what is about to happen next.

"Well." Old Man Beast Boy said "How do we know that they can stop them? How can they?"

"The Justice Leauge can..." Phoenix said, but he stopped mid-sentence as if lost for words.

"Can what?" Old Man Beast Boy said "Imprisonment won't work. You know that they can just break out at any moment. And killing is out of the question for them."

Phoenix said nothing. No words will come out of his mouth.

"So. How can they stop the villains from taking over?" Old Man Beast Boy said, pressing the question on. "They can easily regroup if imprisoned. And I have seen a world where heroes like Superman 'fall' after a tragic event."

Phoenix paused. He face was looking at nothing but the floor. Old Man Beast Boy scowled at this as he continued.

"Phoenix. There are many things that I am afraid of. But altering time. Is something that I have seen and heard have disastrous consequences…" Old Man Beast Boy sighed "...Phoenix...I am afraid of two things...two things about all this time travel stuff...The first is this...Let us say that they do make it to the past. Imagine what this knowledge would do to them? I have seen at least three alternate universes where heroes become evil...and I don't want this to happen again because of me…"

There was a long pause, as Old Man Beast Boy struggled to get the next sentence out. "The second thing...that I am afraid of...is losing...you…"

Phoenix froze as he looked up at his father, only to see that he was crying. "I lost my family...and my last best friend less than a month ago...and I only recently had news about you...and you mother...Raven...the woman that I truly love...and care about...I was going to start again...start a new family...try and make a better future for you...try to be a better man than I was the day before...and now...all this...it gets in the way…" Old Man Beast Boy paused to wipe tears from his face "...All of this...undoing everything...how do I know how it will affect my younger self? How do I know that I will have you? And I have been through so much suffering...and I still am...and just when I was going to make amends with my past...this turns up...and it would have been all for nothing…"

"Dad?" Phoenix said, confused "What are you talking about?"

"What I mean is this." Old Man Beast Boy sputtered "I might unmake my relationship with your mother...I might unmake you...and I have been through so much suffering...and it all amounts to nothing…"

Phoenix paused. Then threw his arms around his father in a rid crushing hug "Don't be like that Dad...please...I know that I will still exist...anyway Mom told me that she loved you ever since that incident with the Beast...anyway...you shouldn't think that all your suffering amounted to nothing...anyway...your not alone with that...but you can help me...help the word get a better future...and...if they were to go back...we will go as well."

"What?" Old Man Beast Boy said in a confused voice

"I thought of a solution to what you said." Phoenix said "If we were to go back with them...everything we have been through...it wouldn't have amounted to nothing...and we can make sure that nothing bad happens to the heroes of the past...I promise that we can go through this together...and once we catch up with Mom...I am sure that everything will work out fine!"


	38. The Second Lecture

Beast Boy can tell that Cyborg was having a panic attack. For one thing, he kept on stammering on each letter on what he said, which is something Beast Boy had never seen him do before. The next he kept on shaking as if his bones were made of jelly, which is weird to see when taking Cyborg's massive size into account.

The room that they were in was quite small and narrow, around the size of a walk-in closet. It had very little things inside of it save for a couple chairs and a charging port that Cyborg was quick to adapt for his need. He clutched the baby Vic the IV close to his chest as it dozed peacefully in his arms.

Beast Boy sighed. He knew what Cyborg was going through. He had just met his older - self, and even though Old Man Beast Boy had told them that Cyborg had become insane over the years, hearing about it is one thing, but seeing it is another thing completely. Beast Boy felt himself shudder as he thought about what could have happened in the last 40 or so years to make someone turn from best of friends to mortal enemies.

"Cy?" Beast Boy said, choosing now is the time to break the silence. He was getting deeply unnerved by Cyborg's unnatural silence.

"Wha?" Cyborg cried whirling his head from side to side as if expecting to see his psychotic Older Self standing in front of him "Wha...what is it?" Then he saw Beast Boy and then he relaxed. "Oh...its you…"

"...Cyborg…" Beast Boy said, "...Are you alright?"

"Oh...I'm fine! Fine!" Cyborg replied in an unnaturally high pitched voice

"Cyborg…" Beast Boy said in his rarely used serious voice "I know that you are not okay...Please talk to me…"

Cyborg paused. He knew Beast Boy was right. He can't lie to his best friend. He took a deep breath and sighed. Trying not to think about what he had seen and heard. But it was like trying to put out a fire with a thimble.

The giant metal figure looming over him…

How it had gripped him…

The explanations on him becoming evil…

How his Older Self called him naive and weak…

It was too much for him to handle. Cyborg was used to physical attacks. He fought Slade, Trigon, The Brotherhood of evil and his arch-nemesis Brother Blood. This. This is something else altogether. Seeing what he could become in the future.

The people in the town are terrified of the Cyborgs...the stories that Old Man Beast Boy had told may have been lacking in detail, but for Cyborg it was more than enough...and then actually seeing his older self...it was like meeting a complete monster and stranger...and yet he heard his own voice come out of that thing…

"No." Cyborg said, speaking without realising that his mouth was open "No...I'm OK" He said. But his voice told another story. It gave it away.

Beast Boy sighed "Cyborg...I understand…"

"No." Cyborg roared, speaking everything in his mind before he realised that he was talking "No BB you don't understand! You don't know what its like seeing your older self become something that you are not!" The moment the words left his mouth Cyborg slammed his hands to his mouth his eyes expanding to the size of dinner plates.

Beast Boy stared at the ground as if trying to pull himself together. Then he looked up at Cyborg and said "Cyborg...do you know who our guide is?"

There was a long pause before Beast Boy continued "Cyborg...if you think you are the only one who is having a crisis in this future, get in line. We have to deal with the fact that everyone, all the heroes of our world is dead. Do you know who killed a large bunch of them? Me. I was, no, will be tricked by the Scarecrow of all villains, to kill all my friends...how do you think I am going to deal with that? How do you think that I am dealing with the fact that I have the capability of killing all my friends?"

There was another long pause as Beast Boy continued "And then, after 40 years...after my family...was...murdered...I decide to pick up the cape again...but now...now the way I fight...is more brutal...doing things I have no idea I am capable of...you saw what my older - self did to the red hood gang, and in Salt Lake City...how am I going to deal with this? That future me kills people left, right and centre, while present me hesitates to harm a fly."

There was another long pause as Beast Boy continued "...Then we get to Robin. We have no idea what he is like, but judging by what he had heard and see the impacts of his actions...we can conclude that he isn't better off than me. The late Ashly is the prime example of this…"

There was another pause as Beast Boy struggled to pull himself together

"And we have no idea what will happen next. God only knows what Raven has done as we know that shes alive and we have no idea what she has been up to in the last 40 years…And you...we all know...and we are just as afraid as you..."

"What are you saying BB?" Cyborg questioned Beast Boy his eyes completely cold

"I'm saying we are all in this together." Beast Boy said "Me, you, Robin. We all have seen, experienced and learnt horrible things that had happened to us or will happen to us, and it is clear that Star and Rae are next. But I for one am not going to bottle up my emotions. We have been offered a chance to fix our future. We have to go through all our hardships together, and we can do this. We are the Titans. And we stick together"

Cyborg said nothing. His face and mind was completely blank. He knew Beast Boy was right. He was being slightly ridiculous. He knew that he, BB, and the rest of his teammates are each going through their own crises in this future.

Without saying a word, he opened his arms, which was replied with a giant hug from a green gorilla with a wide smile on his face.

Cyborg smiled at this too. He just hoped that they can go home quickly before anything worse happened to them. He just didn't know how soon things will go wrong. After this adventure, and long after it, Cyborgs, as well as the rest of the Titans, will be forever shaped by what they experienced.

None of them knew the horrors that await them.

None of them knew.

For in 20 hours time, Starfire would have done something that she would be haunted by until her dying breath.

**A/N: Sorry for the slow process, I am unsure on where to direct this story to the way I want it to, but I feel like I need to add these Character moments before the plot can fall into action.**

**As always, please comment and I hope to continue this as soon as possible.**

**And if you have any ideas, suggestions and whatever please feel free to PM me, and if you want to use my ideas, or incorporate your story into mine or use any of my characters, feel free to, just please PM me and I will allow you to use them.**

**Thank you for reading and have a nice day**


	39. Windchimes

The dining room is one of the most unusual places that Starfire had ever seen. There were too many doors, and yet too little windows. There were several large paintings that used so many bright colours that it practically blinded Starfire just by looking at them, which contrasted with several dull, stone statues that were all as dark as the night.

The room was in the shape of the inside of a cornucopia, which made it both too wide and too narrow at the same time and the shapes of the walls changed from rectangular to curved which made it look like an optical illusion.

In the middle of this room was a large, long stone table that seemed to have been carved into place, as well as a small row of leather chairs that Starfire expects to see in the office of some boring business meeting room.

On top of the table was a row of breakfast food, from a library of cereal boxes, a jar with enough milk to sink the Titanic, eggs the size of comets, a kettle with enough tea to fill several Olympic swimming pools, waffles the size of a house and even a bowl the size of the ocean that is overflowing of what appeared to be guacamole.

Sitting at the very end of the table was Breezefire who was wearing striped pyjamas that were as thin as paper. He looked up to see Starfire and gave a wide smile as he waved at her. "Good morning!" He said, his voice filled with delirium. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine thank you very much!" Starfire said with equal enthusiasm, then her tone changed to her sad tone as she said "But, I can't say the same for Boyfriend Robin."

Breezefire nodded, his face looking like a priest at a funeral. "I understand," he said calmly, his voice as smooth as air "But I think your friends need rest. But since your here, I think you should enjoy yourself. Eat, drink, and relax"

Starfire nodded as she took a seat next to Breezefire as she helped herself to the buffet of food. As she looked at what appeared to be an exotic dish from her home planet, questions were overloading in her mind.

What was her grand-nephew doing on Earth? What happened to Tameran? What is Tameran like now? and Why is there a giant asteroid flying over Earth with a small city on top of it?

This was also mixed with her fears of other things too. Namely concerning her friends. Robin had slept like a log, but she was worried about him. His incident with Ashly made her fear for her boyfriend and she had no idea how this will impact him. What if he becomes mad? What if he loses all hope? What if he becomes a different person all together? Robin had just broken his number 1 rule, and Starfire didn't want to know what the results would be. She didn't want to know.

Then there was Beast Boy and Cyborg. The two of them had met their older selves, and she knew that their encounter had severely impacted them.

For Beast Boy, he had learnt that he had killed almost all of his friends, including her (Starfire shuddered at the image of her corpse with her throat ripped out). Starfire understood that Old Man Beast Boy had the best of intentions at heart, that he had been completely broken and that he had been through so much...but his methods and personality were so Un-Beast Boy like that she didn't know how this will affect Beast Boy. How can one live with the fact that they have the potential to kill all their friends in a fit of rage, or that they can let supervillains rule the world for 4 decades?

Then there was Cyborg, which is even worse. Even though their encounter with Older Cyborg was brief, she still found it impossible to believe that one of her best friends would ever become a supervillain. Hearing about what he had done, from killing another supervillain, only to take her place is one thing. Hearing about him killing his former best friends family and kidnapping the son of someone he looked to as a little brother and sister. Then Starfire took what she saw in the other future she been to into account, which only made her troubled thoughts even worse. In one future Cyborg didn't upgrade himself to the point that he is nothing but a pile of junk, but his mind was still intact. But in this future, he did upgrade himself. But at the cost of losing his humanity completely, to the point where he was no better than his predecessor.

Her facial expressions seemed to have given her thoughts away as Breezefire took a deep breath that sucked all the air out of the world, and then exhaled. "I know that you have a lot of worries and questions, and I will answer them to you Great Aunt K." He said.

He paused, looking around him as if in deep thought. "My mother is the 4th or 5th born to your sister, Blackfire. She was banished around 30 years ago for...complicated reasons and she, my father, as well as many other Tamarians, fled here to Earth."

Breezefire paused to wolf down an entire bowl filled with guacamole as if it was a soup that he enjoyed as he continued.

"I won't bore you with all the complicated matters, but this place, the Oasis, is a safe haven for Tamarians and other alien races that were banished from their home planet. The people on Earth allows us to live here, as long as we don't disturb them, and we do a minor errand or two for them...If you know what I mean."

Starfire nodded as Breezefire continued "To let you know, I am not the king…" Breezefire said awkwardly, as if unsure on what he was about to say next "I am more of a figurehead for the Oasis. The council and the Prime Ministers cabinet is where most of the real decisions are made, but that's not really your concern"

Starfire cocked her head at this "I see…" She said, unsure on what to say to this.

Breezefire nodded. "I know your situation...Ra's Al Ghul alerted every villain around the world to keep an eye on you, and I guarantee that you will be safe here. Unfortunately, I can't help you with your situation as we do not possess a time machine."

Starfire made a face, she was rather hoping that her grand-nephew can offer a solution. Then she said "Whats Tameran like now?"

Breezefire looked down at the floor, his face completely blank "My delightful cousin, Darkfire is now in control of Tameran." He said, his voice filled with disgust

Starfire sighed. She should have known. If Earth was in control of the supervillains for 40 years, what would the rest of the universe be like? There were no more heroes. The villains had taken over, and she should have expected that the same applied to her home planet. She didn't want to know what it was like there. She didn't want to know.

Breezefire read the look on his great - aunts face and sighed "I know what can cheer you up. I can show you around the Oasis. I can show you the parks, the mall and everything." He said "I want you to enjoy yourself here. The Oasis is a safe place. The safest place in the world...I promise you. And let me show you something that I think might cheer you up"

Breezefire got up and pointed at the ceiling. Starfire looked up to see what looked to be a large collection of wind chimes. Some were small, the size of a baby's pinky, others were the size of cathedral bell towers. She cocked her head at this as she watched Breezefire move his arms slowly in the air as if he was doing something Starfire see old people do in parks. Suddenly, she felt the very air move, as if it had a mind of its own, moving upwards, downwards, left, right and in directions that were completely incomprehensible.

The wind chimes began to ring, but not all at once. The very air seemed to be blowing on one chime, but seemed to avoid the chime that was next to it. Then Starfire realised that Breezefire was controlling the very air around them, and he was using it to play some sort of song that she recognized to be a piece by Beethoven. She watched gobsmacked as he effortlessly played the piece of classical music using his powers. The wind chimes seemed to be soothing Starfire down to her very soul, and soon she was feeling light and weightless as if she was made of air itself.

All bad thought, all her worries about Robin, her friends and everything else was completely cleansed from her mind. As if she had no worries at all.


	40. Awaken

Robin lay down on his bed.

Completely unable to move at all.

For all he knew, he could be cemented into place.

He took in a deep breath.

And let it out slowly.

He didn't want to think. He didn't want to feel. He didn't want to do anything.

He had the nightmare again.

He saw Ashly.

He saw the Axe.

He heard everything she said.

All her hearings, all her mockery, it all was burned into his mind.

Infecting him down to his very core

Robin felt cold.

He looked down at his hands. Even though they were practically spotless, Robin could still see the bloodstains.

He felt disgusted.

He felt as if he wanted to rip his own hands off!

" _...You killed me"_ Ashly's voice echoed in his mind. _"...You killed me…"_

Robin tried to shake himself. Pull himself together.

But he can't.

Not for the first time in his life, Robin felt completely afraid.

"Good morning kid." A gruff voice cracked through the air.

Robin looked up to see Old Man Beast Boy standing in front of his bed, arms tied up in a knot, and a face that he only seen in Batman.

"What do you want?" Robin groaned in the most UnRobinist voice.

"To talk to you." Old Man Beast Boy said bluntly, his face looking as if he had something foul under his nose, but he was too polite to say anything about it

Robin made a face. He knew what was about to happen. And he didn't want to hear it.

"No." Robin said too bluntly

"I beg your pardon?" Old Man Beast Boy said

"No, I don't want to talk about it" Robin said under his breath

Old Man Beast Boy sighed. He closed his eyes and tried to pull himself together.

"Have...Have I ever told you about the first time I ever killed someone?" Old Man Beast Boy said

Robin looked up at Old Man Beast Boy, his face utterly taken aback. "...Yes...I do...but"

Old Man Beast Boy held up a hand "...yes...I know that you have seen my memory of that event…" Old Man Beast Boy said, trailing off as if unsure if he is using the right sentences "but you don't know what I did next…and what it did to me..."

Robin looked up to face Old Man Beast Boy. His face was completely perplexed.

"After...that...what Scarcrow did to me...All that I remember was walking through the woods, the trees, my tears dissolving me face and the blood running down my skin..."

Old Man Beast Boy paused as if reliving through a terrible memory, which he was "…It could have been hours…it could have been days…it could have been weeks…all that sticks in my mind was the leaves bein' wet...how the blood...fell to the ground, and the taste of blood in my mouth…and the animals…the animals were so scared of me...All of those battles, the battle of Vegas, Metropolis, Gotham…It didn't even register. They broke me so bad that I couldn't even think…All I wanted was to hurt myself. Pay a price for what I'd done…so I waited on a freight train…and killed Beast Boy dead…"

There was a long pause. Not a single sound broke the silence between the two.

"...For a long time...I was haunted...haunted by visions...Starfire...The Robins...Kid Flash...Blue Beetle..." Old Man Beast Boy said, but his voice began to falter as he forced himself to continue

"...and...and…Raven…for so many years...I was haunted by them...seeing their corpses come to life and taunt me...having to see the love of my life die in my arms...having to see on what I truly am...an animal...a beast...It didn't matter if I was sleeping under a bridge...it didn't matter if I was Cheetah's toyboy...I even still have them now...I am forever haunted by what I have done...and there is nothing that I can do to stop it..."

There was another long pause.

The two broken heroes looked at one another, their faces a complete enigma.

Then Robin broke the silence

"What are you trying to say?" Robin said, his tone changing with each letter he said

Old Man Beast Boy looked at Robin as if the answer should have been obvious "What I am saying is this." He said bluntly "I did, what I thought was best for me, and look at what that got me...but I can't say the same for you...you have to choose what is best for yourself...but the one thing that I know is this...I have said it before, and I will say it again...the one luxury that you have, that I didn't have are your freinds...they can help you...and you will be a better person than Ashly...a better person than what you were"

Old Man Beast Boy stood up and looked down at Robin "I learnt the hard way that barricading yourself from others won't work at all. So I want you to get out there and be with your friends...and they will help you...that is all I can do for you Dick Grayson...that is all I can do…"

Old Man Beast Boy turned towards the door, leaving Robin alone, thinking about what Old Man Beast Boy said.


	41. The Library

**A/N: Sorry if I took so long, I had so much to do and I was in a big writer's block as I realised that the way I originally wanted to go will dig up a ton of plot holes. Plus I have to handle moving and all that jazz so I don't have a lot of time in hand. Anyway here is the next chapter for you to enjoy at the time being and please Read and Review!**

Raven looked around the room as if everything around her had personally insulted her, but she didn't want to appear to be rude. Next to her Beast Boy was frozen in place as if he had no idea what he was doing there.

"This place is like a Clue board" Raven muttered to herself

The room they were in looked like an optical illusion. It was both too wide and too narrow at the exact same time. The walls were all in scarlets, tangerines, mustard yellow, emerald green, royal blue, plum, peach and rose. There were also too many doors, all of them ranging from grand doors used at castles to doors that looked as if they would enter into a shack.

But most prominent of all, it was overloaded with decorations. There was an entire collection of vases from all around the world. A stockpile of swords, shields and other weapons; all of them looking as if they were made from the stone age all the way up to today. An agglomeration of paintings and more.

"...so...uh...Rae..." Beast Boy said as if he was about to make a speech, only to realise that he had forgotten his speech, as well as his clothes "...what...uh...do...do you want to do?"

Raven turned around as if she forgot that Beast Boy was there. She rolled her eyes and made a soft sigh "I just want to find the library here." She said under her breath

"Uh...right!" Beast Boy said as he followed Raven through a bland looking door that led into an endless corridor that Beast Boy would expect to see in a fancy restaurant, that was complete with a red carpet, those fancy wall lamps and very little doors.

The air inside the corridor was constantly changing, one moment Beast Boy felt as if he was naked, underwater in the middle of the north pole and the next moment he felt as if he was on the surface of the sun. Raven of course looked highly uninterested as she went down the empty corridor to look for a particular door.

After what felt like to be a 1000 years of walking Raven finally paused at a bland looking door and threw it open. Beast Boy half expected to see a broom closet or even an entrance to the servants quarters, even though he hadn't seen any yet. But when he looked over Raven's shoulder he saw an enormous library.

Enormous however, was the wrong word. It was an entire maze that seemed to have no possible end.

The bookshelves were as big as skyscrapers towering over the two teens like Gods. A giant row of lifts were placed at the end of each bookshelf, each one leading up to several glass skywalks that allowed people to access books on upper shelves. Looking up, Beast Boy saw that the skywalks above was a maze within a maze, going in so many directions it was impossible for him to comprehend.

The books ranged from as small as postage stamps to the size of a 2 story house. They either looked as if they were made in the middle ages to even looking as if they had just got out of the printing press.

Beast Boy got a bit closer to Raven as he feared as if he took one step too far he would get lost in this library

"Woah…" Was all Beast Boy can say as he scanned the bookshelves looking at all the books as if they were all hypnotising him, entrancing him towards them. Raven rolled her eyes as she followed Beast Boy to a shelf of books. "I didn't know you liked books that much." She said under her breath

"Yeah" Beast Boy said as he approached a shelf that was filled with graphic novels and began to rapidly pull out books like a kid unwrapping gifts on christmas "But there are some books that I do like"

Raven rolled her eyes as she scanned the bookshelves as if looking for a needle in a haystack. That was when she noticed something odd. In the far distance she can see some kind of strange figure. What was it?

Without realising it, Raven was flying up towards the thing as she got closer and closer to that dark thing. Beast Boy looked up from a thick book that was an adaptation of a popular book series to see Raven flying off

"Hey! Rae!" Beast Boy cried as he shifted into a raven and flew up to join Raven "What are you?"

But Raven interrupted him by grabbing his beak shut "There is something there" she said pointing to the dark shadowy figure. Beast Boy stared at the thing and nodded as they landed on a glass skywalk that seemed to be in outer space with too many pathways going in multiple directions.

Not even a second later a voice whipped through the air as someone said "I know that you are out there"

Raven and Beast Boy practically jumped out of their skeleton as they whipped round to see the oddest sight ever. For a second they thought they were staring at Metron, a new god that they had an encounter with when they fought Darkseid, because the figure they were staring at was on a weird looking throne. Then they saw that the throne wasn't a throne at all, but rather a large pile of books in a shape of a throne, and on that throne was Phoenix in his Phoenix form casually reading a book the size of a cruise ship that was hovering above him like some kind of weird kite.

"Good Morning." Phoenix said, not bothering to look at his younger parents "How are you doing today?"

"...We...we're fine…" Beast Boy said as he cocked his head at Phoenix as if trying to make him out.

"The books that you see here used to belong to Darkseid." Phoenix said casually as if he was announcing the next weeks weather "After the heroes fell, the cosmic level supervillains basically took over almost the entire universe. The Green and Blue Lanterns tried and failed to stop them, and now they basically are ruling the universe...until…"

Phoenix paused, as if recalling a dreadful memory, which immedianty peaked Raven and Beast Boy's interest

"...until what?" Raven pressed hard, her face utterly hostile.

But Phoenix seemed unfazed by his younger mothers glare as he said in an overly restrained voice "...Now Darkseid...and...him..." Phoenix said adding too much emphasis on the last word "...they now rule the universe...one ruling one half, the other ruling the other half...They agreed to leave Earth alone...for...obvious reasons"

Beast Boy cocked his head at this cryptic statement, but when he turned to look at Raven he saw her face change from intimidation to pure horror as she seemed to decipher what Phoenix was saying. Phoenix noticed this and waved his wing.

"Anyway...I think you will enjoy this place...this mansion has something for everyone, and I think you will enjoy it here." Phoenix said, shifting into a mongoose "...I think Robin and Cyborg needs a bit of space, but we most certainly shouldn't leave him alone...and from what I have heard Airhead and Starfire are out going shopping or something"

Beast Boy and Raven both picked up the odd tone Phoenix said when he mentioned Breezefire's name, as if there was something that Phoenix wanted to say, but can't or if there was something that Phoenix wasn't telling them.

But before either of them can think of a sentence that can get them the answers that they want, Phoenix vanished in a blink of an eye, leaving the throne of books to collapse down on the skywalk floor, and the giant book to fall on top of Beast Boy.

Beast Boy screamed in pain as Raven rolled her eyes and sighed heavily as she went to help him. Her mind was beginning to overload with questions as her mind rushed to conclusions on what Phoenix said. And their horrific implications


	42. The First Cryptic Conversation

Starfire was waiting in a fancy looking corridor that had too many doors. The door that she was standing in front of wouldn't look out of place in a 19th century manor, which is the door to Breezefire's room.

"I am sorry for inconveniencing you" Breezefire said through the door "But I wanted to get dressed for the occasion"

"I understand completely Grand Nephew Breezefire" Starfire said

"You will love this place!" Breezefire said, "as the mayor of The Oasis it is my job to make sure that my people are happy."

"How do you do that?" Starfire said curiously

"Non - violence" Breezefire said in a cryptic tone "We do not interfere with the supervillans that rule the Earth, and they do not interfere with us. We just stay in line"

For a moment, Starfire found that comment to be extremely suspicious, what exactly is Breezefire talking about? Then she brushed it off, not realising that this single line of dialogue she had will forever haunt her until her death bed.

"Tell me Grand Nephew Breezefire...How did you know friend Phoenix?" She asked

There was a long pause as Breezefire seemed to take his time to formulate an answer. "We used to be friends...like you and Beast Boy...But...he and I...we both did something bad...after that we went our separate ways…"

There was another long pause as Breezefire then said "...and it appears that I have moved on from that...Phoenix...that fire head who changes personality like water...I don't think he has moved on…"

If Starfire found the previous statement to be confusing, this one was completely incomprehensible. However her mind barley had time to attempt to decipher it when the door flew open and Breezefire revealed himself

He was wearing the oddest assortment of clothes, even to Starfire's standards. The only thing that Starfire can think of was 'non - extreme', as not a single article of clothing was an extreme colour.

He wore giant sunglasses that wasn't red but Carmine, a tangerine coat that was at least 10 times too big for him, a canary yellow gloves that seemed to have been knitted using iron, on his right foot was a worn out emerald green rubber boot that belonged to a child, on his left foot was a navy running shoe that looked as if it was tailored for his use, electric indigo stockings that looked to belong to an old woman, a orchid dress that was made of nothing but pockets, a chocolate shirt that looked as if it had belonged to a homeless man, he wore a rose hat that looked to be from the 1800's that was both too big and too small for his head, a lilac tie that one would wear to their 2nd least favourite family members funeral, a sky blue ribbon that was tangled in his hair and a giant air coloured cape that was too long.

"How do I look?" Breezefire asked floating in the air as he presented himself to Starfire.

"You look like you came from a Wes Anderson movie" a voice behind Starfire said.

Starfire practically jumped out of her skeleton as she turned around to see a stone faced Phoenix looking at Breezefire with an unreadable expression. The air in the room suddenly changed.

"Hello Phoenix!" Breezefire said in an awkward tone, the same way a teen would when caught with their hands down their friends pants

"So?" Phoenix said in a monotone voice looking at both Starfire and Breezefire "Where are you two going?"

"We are going shopping!" Starfire said "Want to come? I find its a good way to forget all the bad things going on!"

"I see." Phoenix said at a poor attempt at a smile

Breezefire sighed "Look Phoenix...I know it has been a while since we last met...and..."

But Phoenix interrupted him.

"Listen here Air Brain" Phoenix said "I'm only here because 2...no 3 of my fathers friends...they need to recuperate...they need time to relax and time to themselves...and I find your arrival to be awfully convenient, and I used it...Dick Grayson had just killed somone for the first time, Cyborg had an encounter with his older self, and I don't think my younger father would approve of my older father...One doesn't just experience something bad and then be fine later...that's not how it works...The Oasis is the only safe place in the world...we just need to talk to them...and...well...wait until they are ready to go back to Earth...and...I am not here to talk about the past...well...not really…and..."

Phoenix seemed to pause as he gathered his thoughts together, but Breezefire finished what he was saying for him "Let me guess. Time Travel to fix everything that happened?"

Phoenix nodded approvingly "...Yes"

Breezefire shrugged "You know that I don't have one...but…um..." But trailed off.

Phoenix sighed "Breezefire. If you have something to say, say it. You know that I can't read your mind, your mind shielding is impressive...but I just hope that you have learnt your lesson from the last time we had met...you know what you did...as did I...but you did it out of your own free will...I didn't...Now that you are the mayor..." Phoenix paused for effect then said "...do what is right...please…"

Starfire watched this conversation as if watching an interesting tennis match, her face completely frozen, trying to decipher what the other is saying.

Breezefire made a face, and Phoenix saw this as his cue to leave. He turned to go down the corridor, he paused then said, without turning his head "...Dick has already seen his future descendant become bad. Cyborg seen himself become a supervillain. My father seen himself become an 'Anti - Hero'. I don't want the same to happen to Starfire"

Then he vanished as if he was never there.

There was another long pause. Then, Breezefire said, in an overly restrained voice "Come on Starfire, do you want to see the monorail?"

Starfire smiled as she flew next to Breezefire, trying to forget the conversation that happened right in front of her.


	43. Back at Titans Tower

**Jump City, California, 2030**

"Come on, come on, settle down and have a drink" Cheetah said gesturing at the two men as if they were her children.

The room that they were in used to be the training room that the Titans used to train in, but now Cheetah has now converted it into a mix between a spa, a greenhouse and a dining room. The air felt as if it was made of steam with light dazzling all around them like some kind of tacky disco. Plants, paintings, statues and countless artifacts were scattered all over the room and it was so hot that Garfeild was glad that his body was made to adapt in such climates.

Cheetah was lying on top of a table, that was more like a large boulder, in a mocking seducing way. Around her were large trays that was filled with various food items from salads to soup to steaks to a large birthday cake that had a cheetah pattern on it. There were only three large rocks which acted as chairs and next to the table was a large drinks cabinet that was overloaded with drink bottles from soda to all sorts of alcoholic beverages.

"Not quite what I had in mind" Cyborg mumbled to himself as he looked at Cheetah with utter content

"What were you expecting?" Cheetah said with a smile "In the battle of man vs nature, nature won"

"What are you talking about?" Cyborg shouted at the cryptic sentence, but Cheetah was more interested in looking at her fingernails rather than what Cyborg was saying. She paused for a moment, then said "Please don't try to attack me. You are unarmed, and I can tear you apart before you try to attack me."

Cyborg looked as if he was very well about to attack Cheetah, judging by the infuriated look on his face and his posture that looked as if they were about to pounce. He made a face, and tried to relax.

Garfeild looked on at this with silent displeasure. He felt sorry for his friend, yet he didn't know what he was supposed to do when someone had the remote to his collar was watching him.

Cheetah once again gestured at the stone seats, then did a somersault that would impress Nightwing in mid air and landed on a large boulder as if it was a cushion. Garfeild and Cyborg paused for a moment, then went to the other stone seats in the room that wasn't exactly comfortable, but none of them were concerned about comfort at all.

"So what would you like to drink? Soda? Liquor? Water?" Cheetah said in a poisonous honey voice, clearly enjoying toying with the two.

"Just a soda please." Garfeild said calmly nudging at Cyborg to do the same.

"I'll have a beer." Cyborg grouched

"Okay." Cheetah said tossing two bottles at the two as she produced a bottle of what appeared to be wine for herself.

"So…" Cheetah said, turning to face Cyborg as if she was his mother "How have things been doing at your little work camp?"

Cyborg shot her an ugly look and shot out a bombardment of words. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU LITTLE #$%%^& ! I FELL FROM OUTSPACE FROM THE WATCHTOWER CRASHING BACK TO EARTH! YOU KILLED EVERYONE I CARED ABOUT! I HAVE BEEN OUT THERE WORKING MY ASS OFF! YOU KILLED WONDER WOMAN! THE AMAZONS! DONNA TROY! I HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT BREAK #$%^&^*+= ROCKS ALL DAY LONG! MEANWHILE YOU AND THE REST OF THE SUPERVILLAINS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD! SO #$% YOU! #$% THE VILLAINS! AND YOU CAN ALL GO AND #$%^&^*+= #$%^&^*+= #$%^&^*+= #$%^&^*+= #$%^&^*+= #$%^&^*+= #$%^&^*+=!"

Cheetah cocked her head at this, clearly not amused at what she is hearing. "Language, my dear Victor Stone." She said in a firm voice "And, no we still haven't killed everyone. Constantines status is unknown, nobody knows what happened to Nightwing along with other minor heroes, and then there are you two." She said "And...forgive me. I am not like Black Adam, or Luthor who are complete Authoritarians. All I do is lounge about my home while I let the people do what they want." She looked up at the air talking more to herself than anybody else "I wanted parts of Africa for myself, but I find it useful to be close to some allies, and Circe has parts of Africa and I don't feel safe around her…"

Cheetah paused at this. Then she clapped her hands and indicated the food on the table. "But now is not the time about the past. Now we must eat!" Cheetah said, grabbing a pile of food onto her plate "and help yourselves!"

Garfield did so without hesitating, while Cyborg took his time examining each piece of food as if looking for an out of place atom.

Garfield looked at his old friend with sorrow, unsure on what to say or what to do. But he had to do what it takes to survive. He wanted to help his friend, his last friend that was possibly the last one left alive...but what can he do? He knew better than to talk back to Cheetah and how can he get Cyborg into a better living conditions without risking his own life?

Then again, why did Cheetah even invite him here? What is Cheetah even playing at? He heard that some of the supervillains did use some minor heroes to produce an heir with superpowers, but they were few and far inbetween. Plus, Garfield found it hard to imagine Cheetah choosing Cyborg to produce an heir.

Did Cheetah want to kill him? But why didn't she kill him already? The supervillains already learnt their lesson on letting the hero live.

Garfield didn't know, he just didn't know

In two hours time he would receive his answer, and his actions that night will forever shape everything that happened for decades to come.


End file.
